First Look at the U.S. Pavilion for La Biennale 2025

First Look at the U.S. Pavilion for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale — PORCH Exterior: New porch, canopy, seating, and activities in the courtyard of the U.S. Pavilion looking northeast into the Giardini della Biennale. Rendering by Luxigon. Courtesy the Co-Commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion.

Organizers of the U.S. Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia have released new renderings of PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity, offering the first visual preview of what visitors will encounter when the exhibition opens on May 10, 2025. The images bring form to a concept rooted in a familiar yet often overlooked architectural element, the porch, and introduce how it will guide the Pavilion’s design and visitor experience.

These renderings reveal a space where people can linger, sit on steps, sway in chairs, gather in groups, or quietly observe their surroundings. Shaded zones and areas of filtered sunlight suggest a rhythm similar to that of porches found across the U.S. those attached to row houses, cabins, apartment stoops, and civic buildings.

A Space Made for Everyday Presence

Rather than present finished buildings or theoretical concepts, the U.S. Pavilion builds its structure around interaction and accessibility. The new visuals suggest an environment that removes distance between object and observer. Visitors step into the space as they would a porch: informally, curiously, and without ceremony.

The renderings show stairs that double as seating, built-in benches for reading or talking, and overhead elements that provide light protection while encouraging airflow and visibility. Hanging chairs and shared surfaces suggest relaxation and participation as central themes.

Designed for Movement and Pause

Each element shown in the renderings supports multiple uses, avoiding static exhibition formats in favor of fluid engagement. Viewers might sit down with a book, listen to a public discussion, or simply pause in the space, all within the same area. This structure prioritizes accessibility without formality.

PORCH Interior: Exhibition adjacent to main courtyard featuring exhibitor displays from the Open Call, a “PORCH Library,” graphic presentation of the history of the American Porch, and curated works of art and furniture. Rendering by Luxigon. Courtesy the Co-Commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion.

Architecture as an Invitation

Rather than stage objects behind glass or within frames, PORCH brings visitors into the work itself. In doing so, it reflects an idea at the core of the American porch: that architecture can encourage casual interaction, civic presence, and everyday comfort.

Organizers from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and DesignConnects have structured the Pavilion to reflect the cultural and environmental resonance of the porch across different communities and histories in the U.S. The design draws on built references, stoops, entryways, shared landings, and presents them as spatial tools that remain relevant in today’s architecture.

Ozark Natural Foods Co-Op’s porch (2020). modus studio. Photograph by Timothy Hursley. Courtesy the Co-Commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion.

Preparing for the Opening

PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity opens to the public on May 10, 2025, at the U.S. Pavilion in Venice. The release of these renderings signals how the Pavilion will move away from conventional display toward active participation.

As part of the 2025 Biennale’s theme Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective., the U.S. Pavilion contributes a grounded, accessible structure shaped around human use, civic gathering, and architectural restraint.

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