Writing on architecture
International call open to young under-30 graduates from all over the world with an excellent knowledge of spoken and written Italian language, researchers in Architecture, to write critical texts that will be collected in a publication of La Biennale di Venezia.
Research will be on the ground: the selected candidates will be invite to participate to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition.
On the basis of the theme proposed by the Director of the Architecture Department, Carlo Ratti, the selected candidates will carry out in the Archives, guided by tutor, a search for sources and historical references, to write a text in Italian of a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 15 pages, from its first draft to the printed version.
A maximum of 4 candidates will be selected.
Three phases of research and activities are planned in Venice in the Biennale venues (Ca’ Giustinian, Arsenale, Giardini, Biennale Library at Giardini, Historical Archives at Vega)
Thanks to the Swiss Seaside Foundation.
TITLE
Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.
THEME
«Architecture has always been a response to a hostile climate. From the earliest "primitive hut," human design has been led by the need for shelter and survival, driven by optimism: our creations have always strived to bridge the gap between a harsh environment and the safe, livable spaces we require.»
«Today, that dynamic approach is being taken to a new level - as climate becomes less forgiving. In the fires of Los Angeles, in the floods of Valencia and Sherpur, in the droughts of Sicily, we have witnessed first-hand how water and fire are attacking us with unprecedented ferocity. The year 2024 marked a grim milestone as Earth registered its hottest temperatures on record, pushing global averages beyond the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target. In just two years, climate change has accelerated in ways that defy even the best scientific models.»
«For decades, architecture’s response to the climate crisis has been centered on mitigation—designing to reduce our impact on the climate. But that approach is no longer enough. The time has come for architecture to embrace adaptation: rethinking how we design for an altered world.»
«Adaptation demands a fundamental shift in our practice. This year’s Exhibition Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. invites different types of intelligence to work together to rethink the built environment. The very Latin title Intelligens contains the word gens (“people”) - inviting us to experiment beyond today’s limited focus on AI and digital technologies.» (Carlo Ratti)
Starting with the visit of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition and its starting statements that take up an important challenge for architecture in the near future, we call upon young researchers to critically and conceptually confront these multiple visions with the rich heritage of the Biennale Archives and its history.
How to interpret the question of ‘adaptation’ in architecture for a time of crisis? What relationship can be identified between collective research practices and artistic and design production? What exchange is evident between experimental scientific research and creative action? How should the practice of sustainable design and ecological thinking in recent decades be re-read in relation to the practices implemented in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition? How have the Venetian landscape and Venice been read and interpreted over these decades? What critical and experimental relationship can be identified in the collaboration between the artificial and the natural?
This and other central junctures identifiable in the relationship between critical thinking, research writing, analysis of archives and critical reading of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition will be the focus of this edition.
Tutor:
Luca Molinari
Born in 1966, architect, critic, curator, full professor of Theory and Architectural Design at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, lives and works between Milan and Naples.
Editorial director of Platform Architecture and Design magazine, he collaborates as an independent author with Italian and foreign newspapers and magazines, including Corriere della Sera, La Stampa.
Since 1995 he is editor of the Architecture and Design for Skira publishing.
From 2001 to 2004, he was the Scientific Director for the Architecture and Urban Planning sector at the Triennale (Milan).
In 2010 he curated AILATI for the Italian pavilion at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale.
From 2008 to 2017, he was Scientific Director of FMG Gallery for Contemporary Architecture in Milan.
From 2012 to 2018 he was a member of the Superior Council of Cultural and Landscape Heritage of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Since the second half of the 1990s, he has curated exhibitions and publications dedicated to contemporary architecture, its protagonists and the themes that link design to the changes experienced by contemporary society.
In 2021 he took part of the jury of 17th International Architecture Exhibition.
From 2020 to 2023 he was appointed scientific director of M9 Museum in Mestre.
Among his latest publications: “Le case che siamo” (Nottetempo 2016, 2021); “La meraviglia è di tutti. Corpo, città, architettura “(Einaudi, 2023), “Stanze. Abitare il desiderio” (Nottetempo, 2024).
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
First phase - from 3 to 7 June 2025
Visit of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition and beginning of research activities at the Historical Archive and Library guided by the tutor.
Second phase - from 30 June to 4 July 2025
specific research activities at the Historical Archive and Library guided by the tutor;
deadline for sending the first draft of the text: 7 September 2025
Third phase - from 15 to 19 September 2025
Analysis and in-depth study of the first draft of the text with the tutor at the Historical Archive and the Library;
The deadline for sending the final text is 12 October 2025.
CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
The international call is open to young under-30 graduates from all over the world with an excellent knowledge of spoken and written Italian language.
Attendance for the whole programme is mandatory for participation in the project.
A maximum of 4 candidates will be selected.
The selected participants will be hosted in shared apartments provided by La Biennale di Venezia.
La Biennale di Venezia will also provide participants with tickets for local public transport and meals (lunches).
Selected participants will be required to pay a registration fee in the amount of € 80 (VAT included, non-refundable), to be paid exclusively by credit card.
Note: Applications will not be accepted from candidates selected in previous Biennale College ASAC - Writing in Residence editions.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Documentation
The documentation - which must be sent in Italian exclusively via the online form - consists of:
a) Curriculum vitae - please also specify
a.1) Bachelor's/Master's degree or equivalent degree
a.2) thesis degree title, course of study
a.3) knowledge of spoken and written Italian - minimum required level C1
a.4) other languages known and level
b) submission of 2 texts
1 - cover letter (maximum length 2 pages)
2 - an essay, including bibliographical references, on International Architecture Exhibition (maximum length 2 pages)
Two selection phases are envisaged, the first on the basis of the requested documentation and the second by interview.
La Biennale di Venezia reserves the right in any case to modify, cancel or interrupt the initiative described above, in that the announcement or the selection do not constitute a binding contract for the same, nor do they entail the right to the reimbursement of any expense other than those specified above.
The integral acceptance of the conditions of the Biennale College ASAC – Writing in Residence - Architecture call makes the application eligible.
Applications open on 18 April 2025.
Applications deadline 14 May 2025.