Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed as the General Director and curator of the 2025 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. In its fifth edition, the Seoul Biennale serves as a platform for addressing urban challenges faced by major global cities, fostering innovative solutions and public discussions around architecture and urbanism. As Asia's largest architecture biennale, scheduled to take place from September 1 to October 31, 2025, the exhibition will focus on making cities more joyful, engaging, and radically human-centered. At the heart of this mission is an ambitious public engagement program that directly involves citizens in shaping the Biennale. Through an open call, ten multidisciplinary teams, comprising architects, urban planners, sculptors, community organizers, metalworkers, and textile designers, have been selected to collaborate with local communities. These projects will respond to two central questions: How do buildings make people feel? And how can they be transformed to foster a deeper sense of connection?
In the upcoming edition, the program will focus on making buildings and cities more joyful and engaging. Attracting over 3 million participants over its last four editions, the Biennale's main aim is to "bring people closer," according to Mayor Oh Se-hoon. The biennale aims to foster innovative solutions and discussions around urban and architectural issues, underscoring Seoul's commitment to a human-centered and climate-friendly future. On a mission to "help make new buildings in Seoul radically more human," Thomas Heatherwick believes the biennale must encourage public debate and engagement with Seoulites.
What you will see in this Biennale is the real voice of Seoulites. We have picked an extraordinary group of creators and communities with powerful ideas that will challenge the way you understand how buildings change our lives. -- Mayor Oh Se-hoon
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The Biennale is structured into five key sections: Thematic Exhibition, Cities Exhibition, On-site Project, Global Studios, and educational activities. Originally founded to address the rapid urbanization of Seoul, it continues to evolve, exploring new ways of integrating urbanism with cultural and social dynamics. This year, a city-wide conversation will unfold through a mix of large-scale public installations, a two-day global conference, and a series of interactive exhibitions in Songhyeon Green Plaza.
A centerpiece of the Biennale will be a striking 90-meter-long, 16-meter-high public installation inspired by Jogakbo, a traditional Korean patchwork tapestry. This large-scale structure will bring together the experiences of citizens and designers, physically manifesting the Biennale's theme of urban life as a collective, evolving narrative. The installation will be unveiled at the start of the event, serving as a focal point for creative experimentation and discussion. With its expanded scope, diverse voices, and a renewed commitment to public engagement, the 2025 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism seeks to redefine how cities can be designed not just for people, but with them.
Thomas Heatherwick has been a long-time advocate for designing more human buildings, often discussing the need for more inspiring and human-centric architecture in cities. His latest TED Talk describes a condition affecting areas of the city defined by monotonous buildings, or what he calls "an epidemic of boringness." Additionally, his studio recently won the global competition to transform Seoul's uninhabited Nodeul Island on the Han River into a lively public park, offering landscapes that can host different musical performances and artistic interventions. In Shanghai, the studio's exhibition "Building Soulfulness" took place at the Bund Finance Center, celebrating the studio's enduring connection with China.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on June 05, 2024, and updated on March 20, 2025.
