Materials, Data, Landscapes, Space, and Wellbeing: Politecnico di Milano research supporting 7 Projects at the Biennale Architettura 2025

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MILAN, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, taking place 10 May-23 November 2025, Politecnico di Milano will support seven projects addressing the challenges of contemporary architecture through an interdisciplinary lens. This year’s event, curated by Carlo Ratti, is entitled “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.” and invites reflection on the forms of intelligence emerging from the interplay between space, technology, and society.

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In this context, the presence of the Politecnico di Milano is reflected in the installations that foster dialogue between architecture, science, and innovation, engaging with themes such as sustainability, sensory perception, wellbeing, and new materials. Applied research, a cross-disciplinary outlook, and an emphasis on social impact form the common thread linking these projects, designed to enrich the global discourse on the future of architecture.

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Politecnico di Milano’s Rector, Donatella Sciuto said: “The presence of the Politecnico di Milano as a supporter of several projects participating in the Biennale Architettura 2025 is part of one of the most prestigious cultural events on the Italian and international scene. The Biennale di Venezia, with its long-standing heritage and unrivalled prestige, is a hub of creativity where artists, architects, thinkers, and innovators converge and work together. It reflects the social, cultural, and technological transformations of our time, and the university finds itself mirrored in this setting as a driver of change. The university is a place of knowledge, where intelligence is nurtured, developed, and evolves and where new areas of application and forms of expression are discovered. The theme chosen by Carlo Ratti is significant for us, as it is within this framework that architecture must imagine and bring to life new worlds.”

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Biennale Architettura 2025 curator and Politecnico di Milano professor Carlo Ratti said: “The message of this Biennale is urgent – the built environment must adapt to a changing planet.
Architecture is no longer a matter of form, but of survival. To address this challenge, it must evolve, drawing on all forms of natural, artificial, and collective intelligence at our disposal. This is why universities play such a crucial role in this year’s Biennale, especially in a time when they are confronted by emerging forms of obscurantism. We are honoured to count Politecnico di Milano among our participants. I hope the Biennale can carry this message to Piazza Leonardo da Vinci and our current and future students. Architecture has the power to change the world, if we are brave enough to let it.”

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The Politecnico di Milano supports the following projects participating in the Biennale Architettura 2025:
Material Bank – Matters Make Sense is a project set up at the Corderie dell’Arsenale, presented by Ingrid Maria Paoletti and Stefano Capolongo (Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano), together with set designer Margherita Palli and Nobel Laureate Konstantin Novosëlov (National University of Singapore), awarded for his work on graphene. The project explores perception as a fundamental form of intelligence, linking innovative materials, sensory experience and the built environment. Inspired by the intertwined concepts of a labyrinth and a library, the installation, features interactive devices such as the Polimi_Sensing Core, which enables visitors to perceive their own heartbeat through reactive fabrics, prompting a reflection on the body as an environmental interface.