Introduction
The upcoming 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, opening in May 2025, carries the theme “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.” While it may sound futuristic, the theme is deeply rooted in today’s issues.
Carlo Ratti: A Global Influencer
Italian architect and engineer Carlo Ratti, a global influencer, leads this edition with a vision that intertwines technology, urbanism, and ecological thinking. In times of transformation, Ratti emphasizes that architecture must draw from various forms of intelligence: natural, artificial, and collective. It should bridge generations and disciplines, from exact sciences to arts, and challenge the traditional notion of authorship to embrace more inclusive processes.
Ratti is not your typical curator. He directs the Senseable City Lab at MIT, a pioneering center studying how digital technology changes our urban life. Additionally, he has his own architecture firm (CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati).
Ratti’s vision extends beyond building forms; he engages with scientists, urban planners, programmers, and philosophers. He understands that designing spaces today is entirely linked to the planet’s urgent needs.
A Unique Approach to the Biennale
Ratti’s proposal for the Biennale is distinct. Instead of merely showcasing completed works, he envisions it as a “living laboratory.” A place where human intelligence, artificial intelligence, natural intelligence, and group intelligence converge and collaborate.
This implies that architecture can no longer be a single, top-down solution but should result from an ongoing conversation with what the earth teaches us, algorithms, communities, and living systems. It’s more about facilitating connections than merely creating forms.
Mexico’s Relevant Participation
In this context, Mexico’s participation holds significant weight. Our country will present the project “Chinampa Veneta,” led by architect Ignacio Urquiza and a multidisciplinary team (including María Marín de Buen, Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo, Sana Frini, and Lucio Usobiaga). The idea is to reinterpret the chinampa model—that pre-Hispanic brilliance combining agriculture, water, and culture—to imagine new forms of regenerative urbanism, helping heal and recover the environment.
The chinampa is more than an agricultural technique; it’s an intelligent, environmental, and social system—a way of life with water and community creation. Drawing inspiration from it is not just nostalgia but a bet on a future valuing the balance between the human and the rest.
Furthermore, the Tecnológico de Monterrey will carry the project “Fostering Care Ecologies.” It proposes creating living laboratories in vulnerable areas of Mexico, where students, researchers, and communities collaborate to design architectural solutions integrating mutual care, technology, and everyone’s participation.
A Broader Perspective on Architecture
As someone passionate about the intersections of art, science, and other forms of knowledge, I’m excited that this Biennale invites us to see architecture with more humility and openness to listen.
Ratti sets a clear direction: collaboration, not imposition; regeneration, not just construction of monuments.
In a world with many crises (ecological, technological, social), architecture can no longer be just about form or the architect’s name. It needs to be a practice of expanded intelligence, learning from rivers, algorithms, gardens, data, and traditions.
An architecture that dares to dialogue with both the past—like the chinampa—and binary code, and is willing to transform with other knowledge systems.
Mexico arrives in Venice with proposals that not only respond well to the theme but also enrich it with our history and creativity. In an era where intelligence is often measured by speed, architecture reminds us that there’s also intelligence in the slow, collective, and life-nurturing aspects.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the theme of the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale? The theme is “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.”
- Who is leading the Biennale and what is his vision? Carlo Ratti, an Italian architect and engineer, leads the Biennale with a vision intertwining technology, urbanism, and ecological thinking.
- What makes Mexico’s participation significant? Mexico will present the “Chinampa Veneta” project, reinterpreting the pre-Hispanic chinampa model for regenerative urbanism, and the “Fostering Care Ecologies” project, promoting collaborative architectural solutions in vulnerable areas.
- How does Ratti envision the role of architecture in today’s world? Ratti sees architecture as a practice of expanded intelligence, learning from various sources like nature, technology, and traditions, and emphasizing collaboration over imposition.
