Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025
Anku was invited alongside ETH Zurich and MIT to the Biennale Architettura 2025, curated by Carlo Ratti
VAMO — Vegetal, Animal, Mineral, Other is a collaborative installation presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, created by ETH Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Swiss woodcraft company Anku.ch and international partners. Responding to the Biennale’s theme Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., VAMO explores how architecture can embrace circularity and regeneration in the face of climate change. Rather than celebrating permanence, it introduces a biodegradable, modular structure that adapts to materials’ stories and demonstrates how construction can evolve with ecological realities.
At the heart of VAMO is a wooden structure built from reclaimed Swiss timber, combined with a hemp-rope cable net spanning 6.5 meters. Designed with advanced computational tools from MIT and crafted through both digital fabrication and traditional joinery, the installation embodies a dialogue between innovation and craftsmanship. Each joint, curve, and assembly was adapted to the irregularities of salvaged materials, showing how upcycling and precision design can coexist.
“VAMO shows how participatory building brings people together, especially when traditional craftsmanship works hand in hand with digital innovation. By upcycling Swiss wood using historic joinery and state-of-the-art tools, we wanted to honor key Swiss design values - precision, sustainability, and collaboration - that make circular construction truly work.”
The installation is clad with experimental panels made from organic and waste-based resources: coffee grounds, wool, coconut husks, Murano glass, pineapple peels, and more. Developed by global collaborators, these materials highlight how discarded matter can gain new life as architectural components. Together, they create a lightweight, expressive canopy that reflects an international commitment to circular design and low-impact building practices.
A key part of the project was realized by Nicolas Petit-Barreau, who shaped the upper wooden ring of the structure using traditional woodcraft techniques. By combining half-lap joints, dovetail wedges, and wooden pegs, he adapted the reclaimed timber to its irregularities.
After the Biennale, VAMO will travel through Switzerland for further exhibitions before returning to nature in a forest, where its components will biodegrade and close the cycle. This journey reflects the project’s core message: architecture should not only be built for permanence, but also for renewal. By combining digital design, reused materials, and artisanal skill, VAMO proposes a future where architecture is regenerative, adaptable, and deeply connected to the environments it inhabits.
The structure is visible at the Arsenale building until 23/11/2025
