French Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL 2025
"Living With" representing France at the 19th Architecture Biennale. Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, lead curators, in collaboration with Éric Daniel-Lacombe and Martin Duplantier.
Living with... what already exists,
Living with... proximity,
Living with... the damaged,
Living with... vulnerabilities,
Living with... nature and living things,
Living with... combined intelligences.
SEMPERVIRENS LANDSCAPERS supports Jakob MacFarlane, Eric Daniel-Lacombe, Martin DUPLANTIER for the French Pavilion project.
"LIVING WITH", temporarily closed for restoration work, the French Pavilion in the Giardini is not abandoned, we install next to it, we graft ourselves onto its construction site and explore the wood between the existing pavilion and the canal, the temporary structure settles lightly in nature.
South of the French pavilion lies a dense woodland of Mediterranean species. This site boasts a beautiful collection of holm oak (Quercus ilex) and European hackberry (Celtis australis). Medium-sized trees have thickened this micro-forest, making it almost inaccessible. These include bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) – mythology tells us that the river Ladon, to protect his daughter Daphne from the advances of the most handsome of the gods, transformed her into a laurel tree – as well as Pittosporum and Elaeagnus. A layer of leaf litter covers the ground, which remains untouched by human activity.
In less dense areas, particularly towards the canal where more light reaches the ground, it is covered with shade-loving plants characteristic of the Mediterranean climate: Arum italicum, Symphytum bulbosum, Ruscus hypoglossum or Hedera helix (ivy, sacred to Bacchus, was a symbol of voluptuousness because it was thought that, by harming the vine, it protected against drunkenness and allowed one to taste the pleasures of life without succumbing to them).
Some plants have dead wood and fungi (Schizophyllum commune), but the woodland is healthy and supports the typical biodiversity of canal-side edges. The remaining tree trunks give the impression of a wild forest left to evolve freely for many years.
This exceptional natural landscape illustrates the beauty of existing nature and can be discovered during the biennial.
Three emblematic projects by Sempervirens are on display in the exhibition: The French University of Egypt with Jakob MacFarlane, the renaturation of Intechmer with Titan (lead architect building by Jacques ROUGERIE) Cotentin Agglomeration Community and the renaturation of Collignon beach in the City of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (SEMPERVIRENS LANDSCAPERS lead architect).
Living with... what already exists,
Living with... proximity,
Living with... the damaged,
Living with... vulnerabilities,
Living with... nature and living things,
Living with... combined intelligences.
SEMPERVIRENS LANDSCAPERS supports Jakob MacFarlane, Eric Daniel-Lacombe, Martin DUPLANTIER for the French Pavilion project.
"LIVING WITH", temporarily closed for restoration work, the French Pavilion in the Giardini is not abandoned, we install next to it, we graft ourselves onto its construction site and explore the wood between the existing pavilion and the canal, the temporary structure settles lightly in nature.
South of the French pavilion lies a dense woodland of Mediterranean species. This site boasts a beautiful collection of holm oak (Quercus ilex) and European hackberry (Celtis australis). Medium-sized trees have thickened this micro-forest, making it almost inaccessible. These include bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) – mythology tells us that the river Ladon, to protect his daughter Daphne from the advances of the most handsome of the gods, transformed her into a laurel tree – as well as Pittosporum and Elaeagnus. A layer of leaf litter covers the ground, which remains untouched by human activity.
In less dense areas, particularly towards the canal where more light reaches the ground, it is covered with shade-loving plants characteristic of the Mediterranean climate: Arum italicum, Symphytum bulbosum, Ruscus hypoglossum or Hedera helix (ivy, sacred to Bacchus, was a symbol of voluptuousness because it was thought that, by harming the vine, it protected against drunkenness and allowed one to taste the pleasures of life without succumbing to them).
Some plants have dead wood and fungi (Schizophyllum commune), but the woodland is healthy and supports the typical biodiversity of canal-side edges. The remaining tree trunks give the impression of a wild forest left to evolve freely for many years.
This exceptional natural landscape illustrates the beauty of existing nature and can be discovered during the biennial.
Three emblematic projects by Sempervirens are on display in the exhibition: The French University of Egypt with Jakob MacFarlane, the renaturation of Intechmer with Titan (lead architect building by Jacques ROUGERIE) Cotentin Agglomeration Community and the renaturation of Collignon beach in the City of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (SEMPERVIRENS LANDSCAPERS lead architect).
Before human intervention, the lagoons of Venice were
Dynamic and changing wetlands, characterized by marshy habitats and shallow bodies of water, but not entirely permanently submerged. The construction of Venice itself transformed these natural areas into a unique urban environment, while partially preserving the hydrological and ecological characteristics of the lagoon.
The Venetian lagoons were formed thousands of years ago by the combined action of rivers flowing down from the Alps and geological movements in the region. The sediments carried by the rivers created sandbanks and islands, thus forming the lagoon structure.
Venice is located along the northeast coast of Italy, in the Veneto region of the northern Adriatic. The Venetian Lagoon is the largest in Italy, covering an area of approximately 550 km², of which 418 km² is underwater. It is bordered to the northeast by the Sile River, to the southwest by the Brenta River, to the east by the coastal spits of Cavallino, Lido, Pellestrina, and Sottomarina, and to the west by the mainland.
These lagoons are home to a wide variety of ecosystems, including marshes, estuaries, sandbanks, wetlands, and wooded areas. These habitats support remarkable biodiversity, with numerous species of fish, birds, mammals, and plants adapted to varying environmental conditions.
The Venetian lagoons are currently facing various environmental challenges, such as coastal erosion, pollution, rising sea levels, and subsidence due to excessive groundwater pumping. These problems threaten the stability of the lagoon ecosystems and the sustainability of the city of Venice itself.
MOA:French Institute, Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia,Ministry of Culture,Ministry for Europe and Foreign AffairsSURFACE : 2500 m²BUDGET : NCCALENDAR : Construction site en in progressTEAM: Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, commissioners, in collaboration with Éric Daniel-Lacombe and Martin Duplantier - AFEXMadeleine Houbart
TEAM SEMPERVIRENS:
Frédéric-Charles AILLET (Competition, site studies), Project Manager Studies / Site: Félix Robin
SURFACE : 2500 m²
BUDGET : NC
CALENDAR : Construction site en in progress
TEAM: Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, commissioners, in collaboration with Éric Daniel-Lacombe and Martin Duplantier - AFEXMadeleine Houbart
TEAM SEMPERVIRENS:
Frédéric-Charles AILLET (Competition, site studies), Project Manager Studies / Site: Félix Robin
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