The International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti, showcases a “Circular Economy Manifesto” aimed at combating the climate crisis. The exhibition features a project called VAMO, an ultra-lightweight, biodegradable, and transportable canopy designed by a team from MIT and ETH Zurich. VAMO is made from reclaimed timber, hemp rope, and sustainable claddings, and is a prototype for a new approach to architecture that prioritizes waste elimination and carbon neutrality.
The project was developed through a collaborative process involving multiple teams and tools, including digital design and fabrication, and traditional woodworking techniques. The result is a structure that is both efficient and aesthetically pleasing, with a unique blend of natural and artificial materials.
VAMO will be disassembled after the Biennale and relocated to a natural reserve in Switzerland, where it will biodegrade and provide a unique opportunity for research on material transformations. The project’s legacy is to demonstrate the potential for architectural thinking and practice to expand to planetary proportions, harnessing nature’s intelligence and minimizing waste. As Carlo Ratti’s manifesto states, “nothing is wasted” in this approach, which combines natural, artificial, and collective intelligence to create a regenerative and sustainable built environment.