United States of America

PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity focusses on the representation of the United States of America, through the means of architecture and design, and the contemporary manifestation of “the porch”. This quintessentially constructed place is at once social, environmental, tectonic, performative, hospitable, generous, democratic. The American porch is an unheralded architectural icon, persisting across scales, geographies, communities, construction methods, and histories. A new, contemporary porch for the US Pavilion frames an exhibition of 21stc. projects by practices and individuals of distinction and inventiveness from across the United States and its territories. Throughout the Biennale, this American porch will be the locus of activity — performances, social exchange, and educational dialogue, engaging visitors to the Pavilion and drawing them further into the exhibition galleries. Inside, the PORCH exhibition directs attention to the vitality of contemporary American architecture and design, highlighting fifty or more creative practices and individuals whose work address critical, imperative issues of society, culture, and the environment, working from within the ethos of “the porch”, to gain a better understanding of American creative expression and one another.