carlo ratti & höweler + yoon urge global climate dialogue
Amid rising sea levels and growing calls for adaptable infrastructure, AquaPraça is a proposal for a floating cultural plaza hosting gatherings for global climate dialogue. Developed by CRA–Carlo Ratti Associati and Höweler + Yoon for the upcoming COP30 in Brazil, the public space harnesses natural intelligence, responsive technologies, and Archimedes’ principle to adapt to rising water levels and occupancy demands, exploring a new symbiosis between architecture and the environment.
The structure spans over 400 square meters and comprises a series of sloping surfaces and adaptive systems. Sensors, responsive technologies, and the natural flow of water work together to ensure the submersible platform adjusts its buoyancy in real-time. As water levels shift, so does AquaPraça, holding and releasing water to maintain a minimal difference between its surface and the sea. It is also designed to meet visitors at eye level with the ocean, bringing various perspectives on the realities of climate change into physical, immediate view. While models were unveiled at the main exhibition of the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, the design team will return in September to debut the built prototype. In November, it will be taken to COP30 in Belém where it will anchor the Italian Pavilion, and as the summit concludes, the structure will remain in the Amazon as a long-term cultural landmark.
all images courtesy of CRA–Carlo Ratti Associati
A FLOATING PLAZA FOR climate discourse at COP30 in THE AMAZON
AquaPraça is currently under construction by Cimolai in northeastern Italy, and at COP30, to be held in the Amazonian city of Belém, it will host exhibitions, workshops, and symposia as the centerpiece of Italy’s pavilion, capable of hosting over 150 people at once. Beyond its distinct position carved into the sea, the project is defined by its insistence on responsiveness.
‘In 1979, Aldo Rossi launched the Teatro del Mondo at the first Biennale Architettura, positing that architecture could engage with the past,’ says Carlo Ratti, curator of the 2025 Biennale and co-founder of CRA. ‘Today, AquaPraça shows how architecture can engage with the future — by responding to climate and engaging with nature rather than resisting it.’ 45 years after Rossi’s floating theatre moved through the Venetian lagoon, this new platform builds on that legacy, recasting architecture’s role as an active participant in shaping the environmental futures of the cities it touches.
AquaPraça is a proposal for a floating cultural plaza hosting gatherings for global climate dialogue
developed by CRA–Carlo Ratti Associati and Höweler + Yoon
it comprises a series of sloping surfaces and adaptive systems
sensors, responsive technologies, and the natural flow of water work to ensure the platform adjusts its buoyancy
the project will debut at the Venice Architecture Biennale in September 2025
in November, it will be part of the Italian Pavilion at COP30 in Brazil
exploring a new symbiosis between architecture and the environment
beyond its distinct position carved into the sea, the project is defined by its insistence on responsiveness
project info:
name: AquaPraça
architect: CRA–Carlo Ratti Associati | @crassociati, Höweler + Yoon | @howeleryoonarchitecture
collaborators: Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CIHEAM Bari, World Bank Group’s Connect4Climate program, Bloomberg Philanthropies
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