COP30 | AquaPraça

Forty-five years after Aldo Rossi’s Teatro del Mondo floated through the Venetian lagoon, a new vessel takes to the water: AquaPraça. Conceived as a floating plaza, AquaPraça refers back to Rossi’s poetic exploration of architecture’s role in urban contexts while also looking forward to a future in which architecture and the planet can coexist in perfect symbiosis.
AquaPraça is a special project collaboration of Carlo Ratti Associati and Höweler + Yoon Architecture, in partnership with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and in collaboration with CIHEAM Bari and the World Bank Group’s Connect4Climate program.
AquaPraça will travel from Venice, Italy to Belém, Brazil, to become an integral part of Italy’s Pavilion at COP30, providing a framing for events and activities organized by Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Italy’s COP30 Pavilion will spotlight the country’s commitment to tackling climate change by promoting sustainable, innovative solutions, building on a rich history of Italian excellence, and developing strategic partnerships with key global actors.
After COP30, Italy will donate the AquaPraça installation to the Brazilian government, where it will transition to a community space, promoting continued social engagement.