The French pavilion exhibition, entitled "Vivre avec / Living with," was developed by the agency Jakob+Macfarlane, formed by architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, in collaboration with Martin Duplantier Architects and Eric Daniel Lacombe EDL. France's project for the 2025 Venice Biennale was selected through a two-phase competition, involving an initial pre-selection of five teams from forty-five applicants, followed by a detailed project presentation. The winning proposal focuses on architecture's capacity to address global challenges such as climate change, conflict, and instability, utilizing a combination of natural, human, and artificial intelligence.
"Vivre avec / Living with" is a temporary, lightweight structure built from reused materials, situated within the grounds of the French Pavilion, which is undergoing renovation. Designed as an inclusive and interactive space, it functions as an exhibition venue, meeting point, and discussion forum, incorporating contributions from both French and international architectural schools. The lightweight structure emphasizes porosity and coexistence with the existing pavilion restoration site, creating an open and collaborative environment, as a laboratory for exhibitions, encounters, and discussions. The exhibition is also accompanied by a catalog and a diverse program of conferences and events.
The collaborative team behind "Vivre avec / Living with" aims to bring together a diverse range of expertise: Jakob+Macfarlane focuses on repurposing existing structures, Eric Daniel Lacombe brings experience in building in vulnerable territories, and Martin Duplantier's work in urban planning and landscape architecture further expands the project's scope. This collaborative effort highlights a multi-faceted approach to contemporary architectural challenges. The curators also selected 50 projects by French and international teams, 9 of which were developed by the curators themselves, to be featured in the pavilion's 6 sections: Living With: the existing, the immediate, the broken, vulnerabilities, nature, and combined intelligences.
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Nothing Is Lost, Everything Transforms: The Reusable Future of the Biennial’s StructuresIn this world of ongoing crises and disruptive changes, where conflicts multiply and the climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, where millions of people are displaced while others live in areas ever more exposed to risk, we must learn to live with a state of permanent instability. How can we keep inhabiting this planet by inventing new ways of life in response to these challenges? – The curatorial team
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2025, running from May 10th to November 23rd, 2025, was curated by Carlo Ratti and centered around the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective". The French Pavilion, located in the Giardini, will be closed for renovations during the Biennale to improve visitor experience and energy efficiency, aligning with the Institut Français's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 25% by 2026 and 40% by 2030. Its alternative exhibition structure has been conceived as a temporary shelter, built from scaffolding, fabrics, and nets rented locally in Venice. Other pavilions in this edition also address the issue of circularity, such as the Danish Pavilion, a space for material experimentation curated by Søren Pihlmann, and the Serbian Pavilion, an immersive installation made of wool curated by Slobodan Jović.
We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Venice Biennale.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on January 10, 2025, and updated on August 10, 2025, to include new photographs of the space.
