The lions at the Venice Architecture Biennale have been awarded. “Wetland” gives hope for the development of a more climate-friendly type of concrete. Awards also went to pavilions from the Philippines, Russia and an office in Berlin.
Due to the pandemic, the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale a lot different than usual. First the show was titled “How will we live together?” postponed for a year. Then it could only be opened in May with a strict hygiene concept. Some countries withdrew their participation. Others only came with an austerity program. One of the advantages of this biennial, however, is that the events have been significantly straightened out. Everything else that accumulates on the first pre-opening days will now take place during the entire duration and thus increase the visibility of the most important architecture exhibition in the world, which lives up to its reputation under the curator Hashim Sarkis. It is fitting that this year’s lions were only awarded to the best participants on this Monday, around halfway through.
Sustainable concrete? The UAE pavilion shows a new building material, for which there was a Golden Lion.
(Photo: La Biennale di Venezia)
The jury, chaired by Japanese star architect Kazuyo Sejima, honored the United Arab Emirates’ contribution with the Golden Lion for the best pavilion. Under the title “Wetland”, the two curators Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto stir up hope for the development of a new, sustainable concrete: Instead of Portland cement, a special salt compound (MgO) is used for binding. The promising research approach would be a win-win situation. Because the Emirates have enough salt, they are the third largest desalinator in the world. And normal concrete has a disastrous CO₂ balance, but MgO concrete apparently does not.
The architects Aleksandra Kovaleva and Kei Sato have made historical openings of the Russian pavilion from 1914 visible again.
(Photo: La Biennale di Venezia)
Recognitions were given for the Philippine Pavilion, which focuses on the work of the community, and for the Russian Pavilion. The latter has permanently gained through the redesign by Aleksandra Kovaleva and Kei Sato: The architects have made historical openings of the building from 1914 visible again and thus not only opened the pavilion to the lagoon, but also created one of the most charming terraces in all of Venice.
The Berlin office raumlabor, which regularly shows how participation works in its work, received the Golden Lion for this.
(Photo: La Biennale di Venezia)
The Berlin office raumlabor received the Golden Lion for the best participants in the main exhibition, the silver lion went to the Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (FAST) and the recognition to the Anthropocene Museum by Cave_bureau from Nairobi. Three contributions, all of which underline the social responsibility of architecture in the broadest sense and therefore also fit in with the Golden Lion, which was posthumously awarded to Lina Bo Bardi, the great architect of social coexistence.