The 2025 Architecture Biennale closes, the most viewed ever

Thus the president of the Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, commented on the results: “In recent months, researchers, professionals and families have met in the Corderie dell’Arsenale and Giardini of the Venice Biennale to celebrate – with Carlo Ratti’s Architecture Exhibition to which thanks go – a moment of knowledge and participatory growth. The projects on display and the ‘Gens Public Programme’ initiatives have provided visitors with precious tools for understanding our complex times. Greeted by a dazzling public success – also considering the closure for restoration of the Central Pavilion in the Giardini, which will be returned renewed for the 2026 Art Biennale – from this moment the International Architecture Exhibition is delivered and therefore belongs to the Future, the time of all of us, Gens endowed with Intelligence”..

The Curator Carlo Ratti for his part declared: “I am very happy with the success of the Architecture Biennale. The Public Program also recorded an extraordinary participation, with hundreds of workshops that constantly animated the Speakers’ Corner at the Arsenale. Thousands of participants took turns on stage, united by the call of collective intelligence, the central theme of this edition. Yet, the true legacy of a Biennale is not measured in immediate popularity, but in what remains over time. I therefore propose two criteria. The first concerns the impact on architectural practice. This year’s theme invites us to mobilize every form of intelligence at our disposal to face a changing climate. We must stop land consumption and adapt the built heritage to new environmental conditions, correcting the mistakes of the recent past. creating places where new knowledge can emerge. From this belief comes the “Laboratory” approach that guided this year’s work: a creative ecosystem in which architects, scientists, philosophers, chefs, programmers, farmers and many other professional figures were able to meet and collaborate. The success of this edition is thanks to all of them, who accepted a bold and experimental challenge, beyond the confines of their daily practice from Pietrangelo Buttafuoco: together we shared a wonderful adventure”.

The visitor public of the 2025 Architecture Biennale comes 50% from abroad and 50% from Italy. The presence of young people and students under 26 was significant, amounting to more than 84,000, equal to 28% of the total visitors. There were 996 participants in the Fragile Categories Project for the Accessible Biennial (71 groups). The data confirms the Biennial’s constant attention to activities linked to the accessibility of cultural heritage and in particular of contemporary arts towards people with disabilities or in situations of social hardship or marginalization.

Three inmates from the penitentiary institutions of Venice, Padua and Treviso took part in the 2025 Architecture Biennale, carrying out work activities included in a multi-year project of the Venice Biennale, created in collaboration with the Venetian prisons and with the Seconda Chance association, which operates within the scope of an official protocol with the Department of Penitentiary Administration of the Ministry of Justice. The initiative, based on the constitutional principles of re-education and social reintegration, offers prisoners temporary work opportunities as an integral part of their recovery journey.

There are 2,351 journalists accredited in the pre-opening days alone, of which 1,345 journalists representing all the most important international, generalist and specialized newspapers. Added to these are the journalists who gradually gained accreditation during the months of the Mostra from agencies, televisions, radios, newspapers, periodicals and online publications. The press review offers widespread attention to all geographical areas, with over 3,000 articles in addition to numerous reports and specials on TV, radio, specialized magazines and international online platforms.

The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and the Special Golden Lion for Memory, awarded on the proposal of the Curator, were awarded respectively to the American philosopher Donna Haraway, and to the Italian architect, planner and designer Italo Rota (2 October 1953 – 6 April 2024).

The International Jury, chaired by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Swiss curator, critic and art historian, Artistic Director of the Serpentine in London, with the Italian Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture and Design, as well as founding director of the Research and Development sector of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York; and Mpho Matsipa, South African architect, teacher and curator, decided to award the official prizes as follows: Golden Lion for the best National Participation in the Kingdom of Bahrain; two special mentions as National Participation in the Holy See and Great Britain; Golden Lion for best participation in Canal Café (Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Natural Systems Utilities, Sodai, Aaron Betsky, Davide Oldani); Silver Lion for a promising participation in “Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Technology and Power Since 1500” (Kate Crawford, Vladan Joler); two special mentions to the participations “Alternative Urbanism: The Self-Organized Markets of Lagos” (Tosin Oshinowo, Oshinowo Studio) and “Elephant Chapel” (Boonserm Premthada).

There were 52,383 (3,205 groups) participants in the educational activities and guided tour services; 29,685 young people and students who participated in the educational activities; 4,961 teachers were involved in educational activities at the exhibition. 22,698 adults participated in the guided tours (+22% compared to 2023). The contents published during the 2025 Architecture Biennale on the social platforms Facebook, (by Paolo Martini)