Belgium’s breathing pavilion

Titled “Building Biospheres”, the Belgian pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale is an immersive prototype that seeks to envision buildings as biospheres, spaces where humans and plants coexist in harmony.

Curated by landscape architect Bas Smets and neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, the project explores how plants can be used to produce indoor climates, rather than being treated as decorative elements. 

Over 200 subtropical plants were monitored daily for six months to regulate irrigation, lighting, and ventilation, creating a self-regulating microclimate.

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Photo by Michiel De Cleene

This is how the pavilion is laid out

- Central Hall: The plant installation beneath the skylight regulates the indoor climate.
- Front Rooms: Provide historical and conceptual context.
- Back Room: Displays real-time data from the plant monitoring system.
- Side Rooms: Feature speculative projects by emerging Belgian architects imagining futures shaped by natural intelligence.

The plants transformed the building into its own biosphere by regulating humidity, producing oxygen, and absorbing carbon dioxide.

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Photo by Michiel De Cleene

Protecting life

According to Bas Smets, architecture “was always about protection and survival” and “it should protect all forms of life”.

Commissioned by the Flanders Architecture Institute, the pavilion serves as a research prototype. Collaborators include Ghent University’s Kathy Steppe and Plant AnalytiX’s Dirk De Pauw.

“Building Biospheres” challenges conventional typologies and proposes new structures for regenerative architecture.

Sources: Dezeen, VAI, Metalocus, Arch Daily

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