The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) is calling for participation in designing its national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, with a focus on climate change and urban sustainability.

Holding an open call for visionary designs, BACA is inviting architects, designers and creatives to submit proposals for the Kingdom’s national pavilion at the prestigious Venice Biennale. The 19th International Architecture Exhibition, running from May until November 2025, is a globally recognised platform that showcases innovative architectural responses to today’s pressing challenges.

The Bahrain Pavilion, themed Heat Wave, will explore the effects of climate change on urban environments, focusing on sustainable architectural solutions for adaptation. The authority is inviting architects, designers and creative professionals worldwide to submit concepts that blend urban development, sustainability and the preservation of local environments. This call aligns with the Biennale’s overarching theme, ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial.

Collective.’, which highlights the importance of integrating natural, artificial and collective intelligence to address climate change and propose innovative architectural solutions for related social, humanitarian and technological challenges of our time.

H E Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, emphasised the importance of Bahrain’s participation in the Biennale. “The International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia is a global platform, where we proudly showcase Bahrain’s rich architectural and urban heritage, as well as our commitment to sustainability and innovation in the face of environmental challenges,” he said. “Our participation is a testament to our dedication to enriching the global architectural landscape with inspiring and practical solutions.”

To bring the pavilion’s vision to life, the call for proposals seeks to assemble a multidisciplinary team of up to five members, including at least one Bahraini national or resident, who will collaborate to bring the pavilion’s vision to life. The initiative aims to support the growth of Bahrain’s architecture and design sector, while fostering international cultural exchange.

Interested participants are encouraged to submit their proposals by the deadline of August 15. ✤

GO: VISIT THE BAHRAIN PAVILION WEBSITE BAHRAINPAVILION.BH FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS.