Pavilion Theme & Curatorial Vision
The 19th Venice Architecture Biennale has become a global hub for forward-thinking architectural dialogue, with the Spain Pavilion taking center stage under its core theme: “Immanence: Architectural Visions for Territorial Balance”.
Helmed by Galician architects Roi Salgueiro Barrio and Manuel Bouzas Barcala, the exhibition goes beyond showcasing designs—it aims to unpack key strategies driving decarbonization in Spanish architecture, while emphasizing an unbreakable link between built spaces and their local regions and environments. For visitors, the pavilion serves not just as a project display, but as a statement of Spain’s commitment to reshaping the industry around sustainability and territorial harmony.
Organizing Institutions & Collaborative Effort
The exhibition’s realization relies on collaboration between key institutions. It is co-organized by the General Secretariat for Urban Agenda, Housing and Architecture—part of Spain’s Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MIVAU), which steers national urban and architectural policy.
Joining MIVAU are Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), an organization focused on promoting Spanish culture globally, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), which leads global development initiatives. Together, these partners ensure the exhibition highlights Spain’s progress in architectural decarbonization and positions it as a leader in merging cultural identity with eco-conscious design.
Project Selection: From Call to Curation
To curate a diverse, impactful collection, the Spain Pavilion launched a public call for projects—opening creativity to the broader architectural community. This call drew 171 submissions, each offering a unique take on sustainability and territorial balance.
After rigorous evaluation, 16 projects were selected for physical display in the pavilion’s central hall, allowing in-person engagement. Another 16 projects, while not featured in the main space, were included in the official catalog to expand their reach. The jury behind this selection included experts with authoritative backgrounds: Iñaqui Carnicero (Secretary of the General Secretariat for Urban Agenda, Housing and Architecture), architects Anna Bach, Eva Gil, María Langarita, and the two pavilion curators—ensuring alignment with the exhibition’s core theme.
Showcased Works: Materials & Decarbonization Focus
The pavilion’s core lies in works from emerging Spanish architectural studios—teams at the forefront of climate-conscious design. These studios center their projects on three pillars: ecological responsibility, environmental harmony, and economic viability, all converging to drive decarbonization.
A defining feature is the focus on local, renewable, low-carbon materials: wood from sustainably managed forests, locally quarried stone, ceramics made via low-energy traditional processes, cork harvested without tree harm, and earth, clay, and plant fibers from nearby landscapes. The exhibition also highlights material origins, connecting finished works to their source forests, quarries, soil, and plantations. It is structured around five decarbonization elements—materials, processes, energy, waste, emissions—each linked to a specific Iberian Peninsula region, tying national sustainability goals to local identities.
Biennale-Wide Innovation: Curator Carlo Ratti’s Vision
The Spain Pavilion’s focus aligns with a broader shift in this year’s Biennale, shaped by curator Carlo Ratti. Ratti broke tradition by opening the selection process to a global “Creative Spaces” public call, democratizing participation and bringing diverse voices.
From May to June 2024, the call invited submissions worldwide, drawing participants from varied backgrounds: Pritzker Prize winners, Nobel laureates, emerging architects, and scientists. The result was 305 projects, developed by over 750 participants spanning architecture, engineering, mathematics, climate science, and art—marking the largest number of invited contributors in the exhibition’s history. This underscores Ratti’s goal: turning the Biennale into an interdisciplinary platform for solving the built environment’s pressing challenges.
Global Climate Focus: Other Pavilions & Biennale Initiatives
The Spain Pavilion’s decarbonization focus is part of a larger global conversation at the Biennale about architecture’s role in addressing climate change. Other national pavilions offer their own responses:
- Bahrain’s pavilion, winner of the Golden Lion for Best National Participation, focuses on extreme heat in public spaces—a global issue demanding innovative design.
- Germany’s pavilion features “STRESSTEST”, an immersive installation exploring climate pressure on built environments.
- Bulgaria’s pavilion examines contradictions between artificial intelligence and sustainable development, questioning technology’s role in eco-friendly design.
Beyond national pavilions, the Biennale takes concrete sustainable steps: Alejandro Aravena (Pritzker Prize winner) and his firm ELEMENTAL showcase a full-scale incremental housing prototype, demonstrating affordable, low-impact housing solutions. The event also holds carbon-neutral certification, achieved via policies like reusing existing structures, minimizing exhibition facility footprints, and aligning all aspects with low-carbon practices. Together, these efforts position the 2025 Biennale as a turning point—where sustainability is the foundation of every design and initiative.
