OUT section of the 2025 Architecture Biennale. A Satellite Symphony – All photos are by Luca Capuano, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.
Architecture, Technology. At the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, the final section of curator Carlo Ratti’s exhibition—aptly titled OUT—takes visitors on an imaginative leap beyond Earth’s atmosphere. But it’s not just about exploring space—it’s about looking back at our planet with fresh eyes and asking how space-driven innovation can help us build a better, more sustainable future right here at home. “Perhaps the ultimate form of intelligence is self-awareness: the precious fragility of our planet in the vast expanse of the universe,” says Carlo Ratti.
Lunar Ark.
From orbiting greenhouses to robot-built lunar data centres, OUT offers a sci-fi-tinged glimpse of tomorrow’s architecture—rooted in science, shaped by imagination, and grounded in urgent environmental realities. “We’re sharing just a few highlights from the ‘OUT’ section—think of them as a teaser,” says Enrico Zilli, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Archipanic. “Carlo Ratti’s selection is rich, inspiring, and absolutely worth a deeper dive.”
Space Garden.
Space Garden by the Aurelia Institute, Heatherwick Studio, and Brent Sherwood leads the charge. This orbital greenhouse project is part space lab, part community garden, designed to test how plants, such as fruits, fungi, and algae, might grow in microgravity. With 31 individually controlled growth chambers, it’s not just an experiment in space farming—it’s also a call for more human-centred, regenerative design across Earth and beyond.
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Also blurring the line between nature and technology is City of Plants, an interactive installation by Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects. Here, biospheres “listen” to visitors’ movements and plant responses, creating a living, breathing conversation between people and flora, powered by artificial intelligence and sensory technology.
City of Plants.
On Earth’s driest edges—and maybe someday on other planets—Fog X by Pavels Hedström proves that necessity drives the best design. This wearable, sail-like structure gathers drinking water from fog and rain while also doubling as a temporary shelter. Originally tested in the Atacama Desert, it shows how emergency design can be functional and resilient in even the harshest conditions.
Fog-X.
Meanwhile, Lunar Ark by IVAAIU City considers the digital side of resilience. As climate risks threaten Earth-based data centres, this vision for a robot-built lunar archive imagines the Moon as a safe haven for humanity’s knowledge. With laser communication and autonomous robots, it’s a bold step toward multi-planet infrastructure.
Lunar Ark.
Turning from space to our own homes, the project Spacesuits: A Case for Ultra-Thin Adjustments borrows ideas from NASA to rethink climate adaptation on Earth. Instead of bulky insulation, it proposes ultra-thin, heat-reflective layers to retrofit ageing buildings, creating light, adaptable skins that help homes stay cool as temperatures rise. Project by Emily Ezquerro, Jerónimo Ezquerro, Charles Kim, Stephanie Rae Lloyd, Emma Sheffer, and Sam Sheffer.
Spacesuits: A case for Ultra-Thin Adjustments.
Back on solid ground—literally—the Re-Forming Materials installation reveals the hidden legacy of our built environment. With over 200 officially recognised human-made minerals now recorded, this “mineral cloud” exhibit shows how human activity—from landfills to building decay—has created new geological forms, reshaping the Earth itself. Installation by René Rissland, Robert M. Hazen, Martina Dietrich, Sofia Pfister, Jürgen Lehmeier, and Matthias Massari.
Re-Forming Materials.
And finally, A Satellite Symphony by Space Caviar, Robert Gerard Pietrusko, and Ersilia Vaudo brings it all full circle. Inspired by the 1972 Blue Marble photo—the first full image of Earth from space—the installation combines sound, data, and orbital imagery to remind us just how delicate and beautiful our home planet really is. Using Venice and its lagoon as a point of departure, it invites us to rediscover awe and a renewed responsibility for the world we share.
A Satellite Symphony.
All photos are by Luca Capuano – Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.
City of Plants.
