It has been widely documented that the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale showcased a number of radical proposals, ranging from passive cooling to floating bikes, from robots to canal-water coffee. These exhibits are exciting and engaging, with experimental technologies and the ability to directly physically interact with the items on display. This makes for great experiential content, but I do worry that it also serves as a distraction from some of the more pressing societal issues.

Thankfully, there are a number of national pavilions that took the opportunity to explore critical ideas around housing, which I believe can really benefit an international community of architects, developers, politicians, activists, and – most importantly – residents. Unfortunately, some of this material was dense and difficult to process in the context of a major international showcase, while others were fleet-footed and eye-catching.




One of the surprise hits of the Biennale was located outside the main venues, along the water’s edge. As visitors headed towards the Giardini, some may suddenly have noticed a typical Venetian building partially clad in ugly, white insulation panels – the Estonian national pavilion into the Biennale, entitled Let Me Warm You. The bold exterior statement is a critique of the current standard Estonian practice to retrofit the country’s Soviet-era apartment blocks simply to meet EU energy targets.

The curators – Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, and Helena Männa – argue the case that we should approach such projects as an opportunity to genuinely improve people’s lives rather than cheaply and quickly wrap buildings. They are concerned that the architect has been excluded from such schemes and, therefore, the potential social purpose part of the process has been lost.



 
Despite the powerful message that adorns the outside of the pavilion, it is inside where we can draw the most relevant lessons for residential projects in the UK and beyond. It is important to note that the creators of this show understand that cladding is not simply a technical issue but also something involving social dynamics, including a whole series of conversations, arguments, and political standpoints that don’t often align.

The exhibition invites a consideration of the power of community decision-making and even offers the visitor to take on key roles within the built environment within a drama penned by co-writer of the video game Disco Elysium, Märten Rattasepp. Stickers are used to announce whether the visitor plays the role of the architect, civic leader, commercial beneficiary – or even a pensioner, who has an perspective equally as important as the others. By combining energy metrics and clear communication of social constructs, the Estonian pavilion draws attention to the fact that the maintenance of existing housing represents several complex and interrelated tensions that require a deft hand to navigate, but with wit and dramatic invitation.




Other examples of exhibitions and proposals concerned with housing pop up across the Biennale, including a return to Venice for the 2016 architecture exhibition curator Alejandro Aravena of ELEMENTAL architects, here presenting a prototype for recycled aggregate concrete homes. Working alongside Holcim – a Swiss manufacturer of building materials – the installation continues Aravena’s work to provide simple structures that can offer low-cost residences to the people that need them most. It is powerful to see a full-scale concept in which the audience can wander around and explore. When doing so, the visitor can get a real sense of what is being proposed, in terms of both materials and form, as opposed to reading endless captions.




The French Pavilion building is currently closed for much-needed renovation work, but that hasn’t stopped them hosting Vivre Avec (Living With), conceived by architects Jakob+MacFarlane architects. The presentation is arranged on a series of temporary panels outside their pavilion building and through some of the garden, but once again we are treated to content that works great as publication but is less digestible as an exhibition display in such a vast architectural showcase. It feels like France miss their regular home, and ability to install within it, a space which would have provided an interesting backdrop for the curators to reinterpret and build an exhibition.

Nonetheless, the display covers a series of interesting climate-conscious proposals, including Shíshálh Nation: Ten Home Rescue. This project, from Vancouver-based Renewal Development, explores methods to relocate and repurpose homes from urban areas to tackle housing shortages and reduce environmental impact. They salvaged ten homes from demolition in Metro Vancouver and moved them to the Sunshine Coast. The properties now offer affordable, sustainable housing for residents on Nation lands.

Housing certainly emerged as one of the most pressing and relevant themes addressed at the Venice Biennale. However, despite the importance of the subject matter, many curatorial approaches struggled under the weight of excessive text and dense visual material, resulting in exhibitions that were overwhelming and, therefore, inaccessible. This highlights a critical disconnect between intention and execution. The Estonian Pavilion proved that it is possible to address the critical and important issue of housing in ways that are both intellectually rigorous and creatively engaging. By adopting a playful and interactive approach, they were able to tackle a subject such as complex stakeholder relationships without losing a sense of vitality or imagination.