The German contribution to the 19th International Exhibition La Biennale Architettura in Venice focuses on the overheating of urban systems. The catalogue documents data and forecasts of climate change and discusses countermeasures for overheated cities.
Text: Sandra Hofmeister
Deutscher Pavillon, La Biennale Architettura di Venezia, 2025, ©Patricia_Parinejad
It is common knowledge that average temperatures are rising worldwide. But what the rise in temperature means for cities is discussed far too little. According to forecasts, Athens, Berlin, Milan and Paris are particularly badly affected. Here, peak temperatures will be around 5 to 6 degrees Celsius higher than today, especially in urban neighbourhoods with high building density and heavily sealed surfaces.
Deutscher Pavillon, La Biennale Architettura di Venezia, 2025, ©Patricia_Parinejad
In the German pavilion at the Architecture Biennale 2025 in Venice, the curatorial team of Nicola Borgmann, Elisabeth Endres, Gabriele G. Kiefer and Daniele Santucci is therefore not depicting a dystopia, but a realistic scenario that we are facing - the appropriate title is ‘Stress Test’. What happens when our cities overheat, how can we take action against overheating and what role models already exist?
The catalogue, published by Distanz, brings together figures, diagrams and facts that make the consequences of climate change for urban centres tangible. Heat islands, tropical nights, the increasing sealing of surfaces and urban greenery all play a role here. ‘Stress Test’, the title of the book, is a fact check that is explained in more detail in various essays. Burkert Pieske examines the health consequences of climate change, Katharina Nicolait and Elisabeth Endress describe redensification as an opportunity for climate change, and Maria Auböck and János Kárász bring landscape design into play as a method of ‘destress’. The catalogue is published in German and English as a softcover and designed by Josef Grillmeier. It reads like a large collection of material with calls to action, research essays, lots of data and useful examples that serve as role models. The softcover volume is printed on coated art paper with the words ‘Take responsibility - the time for action is now’ on the spine. It's a shame that there wasn't enough budget for recycled paper!
Stresstest, ed. by Nicola Borgmann, Elisabeth Endres, Gabriele G. Kiefer, Daniele Santucci /
Architekturgalerie München e.V., German and English edition, Softcover, 16,5 -24 cm, 160 pages, 180 color images, Design Josef Grillmeier, ISBN (DE) 978-3-95476-740-3, ISBN (EN) 978-3-95476-749-6
