The Venice Architecture Biennale board of directors announced today that Carlo Ratti, an esteemed architect and engineer, has been appointed as the director of the Architecture Department at La Biennale di Venezia, and he will curate the 19th International Architecture Exhibition scheduled for 2025.
Ratti, who teaches at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Politecnico di Milano, is renowned for his directorship at the Senseable City Lab and as a founding partner of the architecture and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, with offices in Turin, New York City, and London. His academic journey includes graduation from the Politecnico di Torino and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, followed by an MPhil and PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Recognized as one of the top ten most-cited urban planning scholars, Ratti's extensive body of work includes over 750 publications and the co-authorship of the Atlas of the Senseable City. A frequent TED presenter, he is a regular contributor to international media outlets and serves as Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization.
Ratti's curatorial experience is vast, encompassing roles at the Strelka Institute in Moscow, the BMW Guggenheim Pavilion in Berlin, and the Future Food District pavilion at Expo 2015 Milan. He served as the chief curator of the 8th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in Shenzhen in 2019 and had roles in the Porto Design Biennale and the European Nomadic Biennale Manifesta 14 Prishtina.
His work, celebrated for its innovation, influence, and sustainable thinking, has been featured in prominent venues including New York City's MoMA, La Biennale di Venezia, and London's Science Museum. TIME Magazine has recognized three of his projects among the ‘Best Inventions of the Year’, and he has received accolades from Fast Company, Blueprint Magazine, and Bloomberg.
Upon his appointment, Ratti expressed his commitment to leveraging collective intelligence in architecture: "To face a burning world, architecture must harness all the intelligence around us. I am honored and humbled to curate the Biennale Architettura 2025," Ratti said in a statement.
The dates for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, are set to run from May 24 to November 23, 2025, with pre-openings on May 22 and 23.
Read more about Carlo Ratti's first Smart Highway System in Italy | his Currie Park Waterfront| and his Living Nature Project
