En route to Brazil, AquaPraça floats new responses to rising seas in Venice

AquaPraça ("water square" in Portuguese), a floating public plaza that brings visitors eye-to-eye with the surrounding sea to reframe relationships between built and natural environments, officially opened to the public this week in Venice. Designed by AAP's Gale and Ira Drukier Dean J. Meejin Yoon (B.Arch. '95) and alumnus Eric Höweler (B.Arch. '94, M.Arch. '96), cofounders of Höweler + Yoon, in collaboration with CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), the project forms part of the Italian Pavilion at both the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia and the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30). Debuted as a scale model during the biennale's opening in May, AquaPraça has now arrived at full scale for its inaugural mooring in Venice's Arsenale.

"AquaPraça is designed as a platform, both literal and figurative, for deepening our collective understanding and experience of sea level rise and the impacts of climate change on global cities and communities," says Yoon. "It is an immersive civic space for advancing public discourse, fostering international cooperation, and seeking collective solutions."

La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti (CRA), hosted the presentation of AquaPraça on September 5, bringing together institutions, architects, scientists, and policymakers to explore new responses to rising seas and extreme weather. Soon after, the structure will embark on a transatlantic journey by barge to Belém, Brazil, where it will serve as a civic forum during COP30 (November 10-21) - the world's largest international climate conference - before becoming a permanent part of the city's cultural infrastructure.

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