In their lively and wide-ranging DLD25 conversation, architect Carlo Ratti (MIT Senseable City Lab) and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist (Serpentine Galleries) discuss how different forms of intelligence – natural, artificial, and collective – can reshape architecture to address climate change and urbanization.
Obrist kicks off the session by referencing a quote from Italian architect Carlo Scarpa, “Between a tree and a house, choose the tree”, which Ratti sees as symbolic of “the issues of architecture in the 20th century” and the “fighting between the world of the natural and the world of the artificial.”
In the 21st century, Ratti believes, architecture must change and reconcile the artificial and natural worlds. This is why he chose the motto “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.” for the upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, which Ratti curates.
“Initially I wanted to call the Biennale ‘NI’, natural intelligence”, Ratti recalls, but then decided to include the other aspects because “it’s really about how we can put together different types of intelligence” in order to “better combine the house and the tree.”
Ratti highlights his work on the Helsinki Energy Challenge, a decarbonization project dubbed “Hot Heart”, as an example of collective and technological intelligence in action.
Rather than relying on “best practices” that perpetuate the past, the city launched an X-Prize-style competition to find novel solutions for emissions-neutral heating. Ratti’s winning proposal involves storing excess renewable energy as heat in floating islands, then distributing it through the city’s existing district heating system.
“For me, the interesting thing is: how can we turn cities into labs?”, Ratti says. “And how can we accelerate the way we can find solutions for an environment that can become more hostile in the future?”
Watch the video for further insights into sustainable urban development, innovative approaches to climate neutrality, and innovation from the bottom up.
