Heatwave, Bahrain Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale – Photos by Ishaq Madan.

Architecture. Titled Heatwave and curated by Andrea Faraguna, the Bahrain Pavilion won the Golden Lion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. Guests enter a refreshing space at the Artiglierie dell’Arsenale. Structural engineer Mario Monotti and thermomechanical expert Alexander Puzrin devised a singular central column that supports a cantilevered ceiling. Below, seats made from sandbags are arranged around the perimeter.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale on Archipanic.

Heatwave drew inspiration from traditional architecture and cooling strategies and integrated a geothermal well and solar chimney, connected through a thermo-hygrometric axis that links underground conditions with exterior air. The system adapts through mechanical ventilation, drawing air from a canal-facing window and channelling it through a network of ducts and nozzles to generate a calibrated microclimate.

Designed as a modular unit, the project allows for scalable implementation in various urban contexts. The modular structures provide shaded and temperature-controlled rest zones, illustrating how inventive design can improve both comfort and environmental responsibility in demanding climates.

Andrea Faraguna argues that “providing public spaces with climate comfort is a form of social equity.” Indeed, Heatwaves is a clever solution for construction workers dealing with extreme heat, but it can also be used to create shaded and ventilated spaces in other contexts.

“The theme of the pavilion is a very relevant subject, not just to Bahrain but on a global scale,” said the pavilion commissioner, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, when accepting the Golden Lion award. “The term heatwave is a very common term we hear in the media, in news and even amongst our conversations at home. It is a stress to our urban centres and local communities, and the pavilion aimed to address those issues through an innovative technique.”

All photos are by Ishaq Madan, courtesy of the Bahrain Pavilion.

• RELATED STORIES: Discover more architecture and design from Bahrain on Archipanic.