Five robots putting the tech in Carlo Ratti's architecture biennale

Humanoid robots and robotic arms were very present in Carlo Ratti's main exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale, here we round them up.

Situated in the Arsenale's Corderie building, Ratti's exhibition aimed to explore how we can adapt in response to the climate crisis and build for the future.

Among more than 300 works on display were five robots, which have drawn attention from visitors for their eerie movements and commentary on how architects, and humans more generally, might collaborate with technology.

Here, we round up all the robots showcased in Ratti's exhibition:

A Robot's Dream by Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich and Mesh

A robot was suspended from the ceiling in this installation by robotic construction company Mesh and research studio Gramazio Kohler Research of ETH Zurich, surrounded by hanging mesh walls of curved steel rebar that were made robotically.

Aiming to present the robot in a humanistic way, the installation was designed to question the state of craftsmanship and human agency in an increasingly digitalised world.

Am I a Strange Loop? by Takashi Ikegami and Luc Steels

University of Tokyo professor Takashi Ikegami and Belgian scientist Luc Steels equipped this humanoid robot with artificial intelligence, including Alter3 memory and ChatGPT, so it could respond vocally and with gestures to comments verbally given by visitors.

Ikegami and Steels invite visitors to conclude whether the robot shows signs of self-awareness, as it begins to process its own outputs as inputs in a "strange loop".

Ancient Future by BIG

Man and machine joined forces at Ancient Futures, a live carving demonstration of a prototype glued-laminated timber beam set to be used in Bhutan's Gelephu International Airport, designed by Danish architecture studio BIG.

Two sections of the diamond-shaped structure were hand-carved by Bhutanese artisans Sangay Thsering and Yeshi Gyeltshen, while the other two were carved by a robotic milling arm. While on display at the biennale, a robotic arm holding a brush sweeps the beams.

Co-Poiesis by Philip Yuan and Bin He

Tongji University professor Philip Yuan and Chinese engineer Bin He used trees felled from typhoon Beibiya in Shanghai to construct the Co-Poiesis installation, created with traditional carpentry and robotic digital fabrication.

Aiming to emphasise this collaboration between humans and robotics, a humanoid robot dances at the centre of the installation while another bangs a handpan drum, responding to beats made by visitors .

Lunar Ark by IVAAIU City

South Korean studio IVAAIU City proposed using robots to build data centres on the moon, claiming "humanity needs a backup plan" for current data centres built in areas susceptible to the effects of global warming.

Named Lunar Ark, the project involves a construction robot designed to build a lunar Data Receiving Terminal and a Lunar Data Archive as part of a larger moon-based data infrastructure masterplan.

The Venice Architecture Biennale takes place from 10 May to 23 November 2025. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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