A new mindset for sustainable architecture at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2025
Denmark reveals the title and theme of its national contribution to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2025, which will take place from May 10 to November 23, 2025. The Danish pavilion, curated by architect Søren Pihlmann, presents the exhibition Build of Site.
Building on the Architecture Biennale's overarching theme, “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.”, the Danish contribution explores how rethinking and reusing existing buildings and resources can address some of architecture's most pressing challenges.
The Danish Pavilion as a Construction Site by Søren Pihlmann. Photograph by Hampus Berndtson.
The Danish Pavilion as a Construction Site
The Danish pavilion in Venice is a historic building complex consisting of Carl Brummer's 1932 building and Peter Koch's 1958 extension. During the Architecture Biennale, the Danish pavilion will be transformed into a curatorial exhibition that demonstrates hands-on maintenance of the building that reuses the resources already present in the building.
In collaboration with leading Danish and international experts, including experts from the Royal Danish Academy, the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark, and ETH Zurich, Søren Pihlmann will demonstrate hyper-local methods for reclaiming building materials, using the Danish pavilion as a real-time, 1:1 case study. The exhibition is framed as a technical, aesthetic communication of an ongoing process – as a work in progress.
As part of his curation, Søren Pihlmann has conducted a comprehensive study of the Danish pavilion to increase the usability of materials already present in the building. By combining existing building materials with unconventional bio-based binders, the exhibition demonstrates how we can use advanced technology to promote methods that use bio-based and recycled building materials. This approach highlights the potential in surplus materials previously considered waste, demonstrating a new architectural practice that uses and draws inspiration from existing on-site materials.
The Danish Pavilion as a Construction Site by Søren Pihlmann. Photograph by Hampus Berndtson.
Reframing Material Value
"We've already created everything we need. That's why we must be better at understanding and finding value in what already exists."
Søren Pihlmann.
Build of Site challenges traditional perceptions of material value by showing how existing components from past construction projects can be given new life. The exhibition aims to inspire the world to adopt an approach driven by resource awareness and respect for the inherent qualities and potential of a site.
Visitors to the Danish pavilion are invited to experience a snapshot of an experimental process, where they can observe how the building's own resources are repurposed for new uses. Here, technical and architectural processes are showcased, giving visitors access to a creative knowledge process normally hidden from view. The exhibition thus demonstrates the economic, environmental, and aesthetic potential of reusing familiar resources in new and original ways.
The Danish Pavilion as a Construction Site by Søren Pihlmann. Photograph by Hampus Berndtson.
An Open-Source Vision for the Future of Construction
The exhibition has been developed in collaboration with leading academic institutions, craftsmen, and material specialists. This interdisciplinary collaboration unites technological innovation with local resource use.
"We draw on several central tools in architecture from both traditional technologies and entirely new technologies. We conduct detailed analyses of existing building elements and material resources and integrate them into a sustainable cycle that will reduce our resource consumption."
Søren Pihlmann.
Build of Site provides insight into an innovative approach to sustainable construction and highlights its potential as a model that can be applied to buildings worldwide. By expanding the definition of architectural value, the Danish pavilion invites visitors to experience and rethink how architecture can contribute to a sustainable future.
