DESIGN DISKURS
In a conversation with Carlo Ratti, curator of the 19th Biennale Architettura in Venice, Poonam Choudhry (DDC) explores his vision for a new era of architecture – one that blends natural and artificial intelligence to create cities that adapt, evolve, and respond to the climate crisis.
Poonam Choudhry: What made you want to become an architect?
Carlo Ratti: I have always been fascinated by Herbert Simon’s definition of design: “The natural sciences are concerned with how things are … Design, on the other hand, is concerned with how things ought to be.” Whenever I see a situation – urban or social – it is instinctive for me to think about how it could be changed and hopefully improved. I suppose that is what led me to design and architecture.
Poonam Choudhry: I like your attitude towards working interdisciplinary in the field of design, architecture, and urban planning. It is still not quite popular. With which arguments and outcomes can you recommend this way of working in architectural practices?
Carlo Ratti: Real-world problems are complex – and increasingly so, as architecture must now interact with ecosystems, technology, and society. Challenges like climate change don’t fit into neat professional categories. Interdisciplinary collaboration may be messy, but it’s where innovation happens. Just think of how architecture has evolved from the Beaux-Arts model in the 20th century to today. The field is undergoing another major transformation today, and to stay relevant, we must embrace this shift.
Poonam Choudhry: The MIT Senseable City Lab includes a variety of projects, publications and collaborations. Could you summarise what you want to achieve with it?
Carlo Ratti: We want to understand cities as ecosystems. When we launched the Senseable City Lab at MIT, our goal was to explore how digital tools – sensors, smartphones, networks – could make cities more legible and responsive to people. Our aim was never just optimization, but humanization: making the invisible visible so we can act more intelligently.
“Collective intelligence emerges when natural, artificial, and human intelligences interact.”
Carlo Ratti, Curator of the 19th Biennale Architettura
Today, that mission has expanded. Cities are adaptive systems, and we should think of them like forests – dynamic and alive. For instance “Favelas 4D” one of the projects at the 2025 Biennale Architettura, uses LiDAR and data analytics to uncover the spatial logic of informal settlements in Brazil. “Re-Leaf”, another project, leverages AI to map and classify urban trees worldwide and estimate their impact on cooling cities.
Poonam Choudhry: You emphasise that architecture is not only part of the problem, but also part of the solution in the fight against climate change. What can this look like in concrete terms?
Carlo Ratti: The built environment accounts for nearly 40 percent of global emissions. That’s a huge responsibility – but also an opportunity. We can design for disassembly, reuse materials, and collaborate with nature instead of opposing it. And just as importantly, we need to design for adaptation to a climate that has already changed. Venice is a historical example of adaptation. More recently, the MOSE system—movable dams to protect the city from rising tides – continues that tradition.
Poonam Choudhry: What role does natural knowledge play compared to technical knowledge? And how do you define collective knowledge in this context?
Carlo Ratti: We often over-celebrate artificial intelligence, but natural intelligence – the way ecosystems evolve, how rivers adapt, how bacteria self-organize – is often more sophisticated. Collective intelligence emerges when natural, artificial, and human intelligences interact. It’s not hierarchical – it’s a network. And that’s where powerful new insights come from.
“Grounded Growth” by Anthony Acciavatti uncovers the hidden narrative of one of the world’s largest distributed freshwater reserves: aquifers (picture right). Image © Poonam Choudhry
Poonam Choudhry: The last Biennale was strongly characterised by post-colonial and artistic themes. How do you see the content of your edition evolving?
Carlo Ratti: Those conversations remain essential. But each Biennale must ask a central question. This year, we focus on the following: How does intelligence – across species, systems, and disciplines – shape architecture in an age of adaptation?
Poonam Choudhry: What will the city of the future between the natural and the artificial look like for you?
Carlo Ratti: A city where you can no longer tell where one ends and the other begins.
Poonam Choudhry: The climate crisis calls for quick, effective solutions. How can an exhibition like the Biennale contribute to going beyond symbolic politics?
Carlo Ratti: By acting as a testbed. We asked participants to prototype, to take risks, to experiment. We also opened up the curatorial process itself, with over 800 voices, many selected via an open call. It’s a bit like evolution: trial and error, guided by constant feedback.
This also helps us rethink the role of the Biennale. When it began in 1895, it was a stage to present the best of what was already known – part World’s Fair, part professional showcase. But in a world where Instagram can stream a building launch in real time, that model feels outdated. Today, we need a platform that generates new knowledge, not just displays existing work.
“We focus on the following: How does intelligence – across species, systems, and disciplines – shape architecture in an age of adaptation?”
Carlo Ratti, Curator of the 19th Biennale Architettura
Poonam Choudhry: To what extent does your background as an architect, engineer and researcher influence your curatorial approach?
Carlo Ratti: I have always admired odd animals – and I suppose I’m one of them. Some colleagues view me as a scientist and are surprised that I moonlight as a designer, or vice versa. But I guess that this hybrid background has helped me think across scales and disciplines. Most importantly, it taught me the value of rigor – something that historically has not always been the hallmark of architecture.
Poonam Choudhry: After the Opening of the Biennale: Was there a particular pavilion or intervention that surprised you, even as the curator?
Carlo Ratti: I was impressed by how national pavilions interpreted the theme. This was only the second time an attempt was made to harmonize national contributions – the first being Rem Koolhaas in 2014. So Canada explored co-evolution between natural and artificial systems using bacteria. The UK embraced the intelligence of repair. Uzbekistan reimagined a Soviet-era solar plant with real elegance. And many others. What impressed me most was how each country found its own unique answer, yet together formed an natural chorus.
The exhibition “Unraveling: New Spaces” at the Serbian Pavilion builds on the delicate artistic skill of knitting (picture right). Image © Poonam Choudhry
Poonam Choudhry: Was there anything you intentionally left out of this Biennale to make a point?
Carlo Ratti: Yes. Form for form’s sake.
Poonam Choudhry: What did you learn during this curatorial journey that changed your own outlook or practice?
Carlo Ratti: Curating the Biennale reinforced my belief in collective intelligence. It’s a chorus, not a solo. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is create space for others to contribute their ideas.