Our approach to Circularity: Roadmap Supply-Construction-Reuse

Sometimes, the best impact is no impact. Guided by this philosophy, this initiative made every effort to minimize its environmental footprint while promoting circularity and sustainability. Within a footprint of just 3 × 3 meters, the installation brought together materials from three editions of La Biennale, fragments of its architectural history, and decades of dedication and action by the project team to address climate change and social justice.

The installation exclusively used locally sourced, repurposed, recyclable, and reusable materials, including plexiglass, wood, steel, and earth materials. Part of the plexiglass used in the exhibition was recycled, and all of it was designated for reuse at the end of the exhibition to create jewelry by local designer MiGa Design. The clay was recovered from Anna Maria Maiolino’s installation at the previous Biennale, in the Giardino delle Vergini, where the artist received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The wood supporting the installation from within was given a third life, having previously been used in the 2024 Swiss Pavilion and, before that, in Argentina’s 2023 Pavilion. The bricks were recovered from the U.S. Pavilion and had originally been manufactured by the local company San Marco. Pipes and cables were collected throughout Venice, while even the stones and traditional Venetian paving slabs (masegni) were salvaged from construction sites and disposal areas across the city.

Beyond the installation itself, the project sought to raise awareness of underground climate change among the local population by engaging residents and local organizations in the deployment of temperature sensors across selected properties throughout Venice. This collaborative effort fostered a strong sense of community, shared ownership, and belonging, reinforcing the project’s broader ambition to transform Venice into a living laboratory for scientific research and climate action. The resulting sensing network was designed to remain operational for as long as local residents and participating organizations permit, providing a lasting scientific resource for monitoring, understanding, and ultimately mitigating underground climate change in the years to come.