Explore Carlo Ratti, the architect chosen to oversee the 2025 Venice Architecture Exhibition
Carlo Ratti, a renowned architect and engineer, has been announced as the curator for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. The much-anticipated event is set to kick off in early May 2025 and will run until 23 November 2025.
Ratti, who is renowned for his interdisciplinary approach to design, has been working on the Biennale since its announcement in December 2023. His work is inspired by the concept of the 'primitive hut' as explained by Marc-Antoine Laugier in 18th-century France, and he believes in copying the logic of nature, not just mimicking it, as the core of his design philosophy.
Ratti's work is focused on adaptation in architecture, particularly in the face of a climate that is becoming more extreme. His approach involves a trial-and-error method, akin to an evolutionary system. Key milestones in his career include projects focusing on sustainable building, reuse and remodeling of existing buildings, and contributions to large innovative constructions like the steel-concrete tower by Fritz Leonhardt built with sliding formwork techniques, completed in under two years between 1954 and 1956.
The Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 will delve into the architectural zeitgeist, with Ratti's curation emphasising collaboration between different disciplines. The Biennale will also introduce the first-ever open call for submissions, inviting architects, designers, and artists from around the world to participate.
Two landmark projects for Ratti's practice are the digital water pavilion in Saragossa (2008) and an extension for the Trussardi fashion house in Milan (2008). Both projects explore the mixing of the natural and the artificial worlds, a theme that Ratti aims to continue in his curation for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.
Ratti finds inspiration in the complexity of nature and considers it an incredible designer. His work aims to link the natural and the artificial worlds, reflecting his belief that architecture should be a response to the environment, not a force imposed upon it.
The Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 promises to be an exciting event, showcasing the best of contemporary architecture and design, and Ratti's involvement as curator is sure to make it a memorable one.
