The 15th International Biennale of Architecture in Venice attracted almost 260,000 visitors within six months, roughly 15 percent more than any former architecture exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Curator Alejandro Aravena stressed that he and his team had set out to create an emotional experience more than a platform to transfer knowledge. “This Biennale was all about improving the quality of life for people,” he said.

Biennale President Paolo Baratta praised Alejandro Aravena for having managed to “narrow the gap between society and architecture.” For Paolo Baratta the architecture Biennale is not an exhibition: “It is an exercise in research and an instrument of communication,” he said and proudly added that that in 2016, 40 percent of all visitors were younger than 35 years of age.

“Architects give form to places where we live. Not much more than that, but not less than that,” Alejandro Aravena described the design profession to the predominantly young professionals and students who attended a panel discussion brought to the Architecture Biennale 2016 a day before it closed by the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction.

Panel Discussion: Sustainability vs. Security