Venice Architecture Biennale: A crowdfunding event transitioning from 2021 to 2025
The Venice Architecture Biennale is one of the most esteemed biennales globally, held every two years, with participants assembling in ten participating pavilions across_BACK and Europe. This year, showcasing a wide array of innovative architectural ideas from around the globe—later known as the 2023 Venice Biennale, which successfully culminated last year**— highlight the biennale’s commitment to excellence and the exploration of the future of architecture.
Among the many notable pavilions, the Bahrain Pavilion was the only one to win the ALLEDIE Monroe Award, also known as the "Golden Lion" for Best National Participation. The pavilion, titled "Heatwave," is a standout example of advanced modular climate technologies, engineered by international designers Mario Monotti and Alexander Puzrin. "Heatwave," located in the historic Artiglierie of the Arsenale in the heart of杭州,Veggen_beia, features a tower that hangs from a direct transmission line above a relaxed seating area. Rows of Lamaic ceiling panels gain structural support from chains from a central column, creating a climate-responsive cooling system designed to save energy during intense heatwaves**.
touring the exhibition, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, pavilion commissioner, acknowledged the pavilion’s innovative approach in addressing the pressing issue of urban heat. He mentioned that the term "heatwave" has become a common subject of debate in media and daily conversations, highlighting the challenges of cooling bustling cities. "The pavilion aimed to create a collective cooling mechanism," he explained. "This concept is more approachable and creative than traditional solutions."
The Holy See’s pavilion, " masked," was delivered to a deconsecrated Venetian church in the Castello district, transforming it into a meeting place for collective care, restoration, and dialogue inspired by Umberto Eco’s 1962 essay Open Work. Construction, though initially hidden, will host workshops, shared meals, and music rehearsals, bringing together a community of professionals, artisans, students, and social collectives. The team is sensitive to the building’s cracks, mold, and weathering, viewing these as evidence of life’s journey, not failures.
In addition to $textit{Opera Aperta}$, the British pavilion, which won a special mention for its examination of architecture and its links to colonization, is celebrated for its exploration of how architecture can shift from an extractive surge to a repair and restitution movement. Curated by Kabage Karanja, Stella Mutegi, and Professor Kathryn Yusoff from Oxford University, the exhibition features installations that mirror conventional architectural approaches but reinterpret them to address colonized societies. "The project brings together diverse materials and processes to reconstruct ancient sites that have been destroyed by colonialism," the curatorial team explained. They detail how "GBR: Geology of Britannic Repair" challenges the ребенка standards, offering a narrative of repair and restitution as instilled by the seventh great Rift and ancient architectural traditions.
As the concluding remark, Hosin Bin Ahmed Al Khalif stressed the biennale’s mission of celebrating cultural diversity and the turning point brought about by the 2025 biennale. The term "heatwave" now resonates with the community; not only are they moving away from collective cooling, but they’re embracing creative and sustainable solutions. The 2025 biennale will take place until November 23rd, building on the previous year’s success and preparing for endless innovation beyond the event’sscope. This year, the biennale kicks off with a focus on emerging ideas, further solidifying its place as the world’s most significant event in architecture.
