The National Pavilion UAE has opened at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia with the exhibition titled Pressure Cooker. Curated by Emirati architect Azza Aboualam, assistant Professor at Zayed University and Co-founder of Holesum Studio, the exhibition explores the evolving relationship between architecture and food production in the UAE, proposing innovative solutions for sustainable and self-sufficient food systems. Positioning the built environment as a catalyst for ecological resilience, it asks: In the face of climate and resource challenges, how can design shape more secure and sustainable food systems?
Building on extensive archival research and fieldwork, Pressure Cooker examines food-growing infrastructures across the UAE, shedding light on overlooked, resource-rich landscapes. The exhibition reimagines traditional and contemporary food production techniques, from vernacular farming methods to cutting-edge greenhouse technologies, to address the urgent global challenges of food security and climate change. By investigating how architecture can be mobilized to enhance food resilience, the exhibition presents a vision for integrating sustainable food systems into urban and rural environments.
The exhibition presents a series of experimental greenhouse assemblies, each constructed using varied combinations of modular kit components. These configurations serve as distinct scenarios for examining how architectural form can mediate environmental variables, including sunlight, shading, external temperature, irrigation, ventilation, and thermal mass. In turn, these factors influence outputs such as interior temperature, light levels, humidity, and energy consumption, directly impacting crop yield and informing optimal design strategies for greenhouse assembly.
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Each structure functions as a prototype, demonstrating specific responses to the climatic conditions of the UAE, while also proposing a framework adaptable to other environments, such as the temperate context of Venice. The selection of crops, ranging from regionally and historically significant species like cucumbers to more climate-challenging varieties such as blueberries, reflects the potential of architectural interventions to expand agricultural possibilities in arid and non-native conditions. Developed under the direction of Aboualam in collaboration with Holesum Studio and a UAE-based team, the project operates as a living experiment. The installation continuously gathers and analyzes data on environmental performance, offering insight into how greenhouse architecture can support site-specific cultivation while remaining responsive to diverse geographies.
Pressure Cooker investigates the potential of architecture to reconfigure food systems through spatial experimentation. By deconstructing and recombining the greenhouse typology, the project explores new relationships between form, climate, and cultivation. Accompanied by multimedia and audio content, the exhibition traces its research trajectory and methodology, inviting visitors to engage with the evolving dialogue between architecture and agricultural resilience.
The UAE's participation in the Biennale Architettura 2025 reflects our commitment to fostering innovation and addressing global challenges. Pressure Cooker highlights the critical role of architecture in food security and climate resilience, offering sustainable solutions that align with the UAE's leadership in adaptive design. -- His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Culture
The UAE's participation in the Biennale has been a recurring platform for promoting the nation's architectural narratives. The UAE Pavilion previously garnered international acclaim, winning the Golden Lion award for best national participation at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in 2021 for its Wetland exhibition, curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto.
The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale opened on May 10 and will run until November 23. This year's edition brings together over 300 contributions from more than 750 participants across generations and disciplines. This year the Kingdom of Bahrain's national pavilion was awarded Golden Lion for Best National Participation. Titled Heatwave, the exhibition was curated by architect Andrea Faraguna and located in the historic Artiglierie of the Arsenale. Golden Lion for Best Participant in the exhibition Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective is awarded to Canal Café by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Natural Systems Utilities, SODAI, Aaron Betsky, Davide Oldani, and two special mentions were awarded to Opera Aperta of Holy See Pavilion and the Pavilion of Great Britain: GBR: Geology of Britannic Repair, commissioned by Sevra Davis of the British Council and curated by Owen Hopkins, Kathryn Yusoff, Kabage Karanja, Stella Mutegi.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on October 21, 2024, and updated on January 31, 2025, and May 28, 2025.
We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Venice Biennale.
