Honors College students to create exhibit spaces for 2025 Venice Architecture Biennial Exhibition

The Virginia Tech Honors College will participate in the Venice Architecture Biennial Exhibition “Time Space Existence” in 2025. The exhibition is organized in Italy by the European Cultural Center and is one of the world's most celebrated exhibitions of art, architecture, and culture.

"It is a great honor to have received the invitation, a recognition of the unique way in which the Honors College is able to foster transdisciplinary collaboration among students from many academic disciplines, supported by industry and community partners,” said Paul Knox, dean of the Honors College. By showcasing the principles of the Honors College, its distinctive academic structure, and the projects undertaken by its students and faculty, the exhibition will highlight the global impact of Virginia Tech.

“The opportunity for our Honors College students to participate in a globally renowned exhibition of creativity and culture such as this reflects Virginia Tech’s commitment to elevate the work of our campus community and provide dynamic learning experiences outside the classroom,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril Clarke. “I congratulate these students and the Honors College faculty who are collectively contributing in significant ways to advancing the global position and reputation of Virgina Tech.”

In 2023, the event reached more than 350,000 visitors, including recognizable activists, policymakers, architects, and members of the media, among other figures of industry and culture and leading universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ETH Zurich.

The Honors College invitation is unique in that it calls for the college to be showcased in two spaces: the historical venue of Palazzo Bembo, which overlooks the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge, and another venue in the Marinaressa Gardens.

These two spaces will host opening events, talks, and exhibitions that will showcase the work of Virginia Tech students and the research of faculty from Honors SuperStudio, the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program, and honors studio workshop courses.

Honors College students are designing these exhibit spaces, giving them hands-on experience through an experiential learning approach.

Students have been working with the Barcelona-based architectural firm Cloud 9 as well as other industry partners.

Participation in the Venice Architecture Biennial Exhibition is supported in part by the Moss Arts Center. The Honors College will collaborate with other units across Virginia Tech as the project continues to develop.

The committee leading this project is made up of Honors College faculty and staff, including Lefter Daku, Enric Ruiz Geli, Paul Heilker, Mary Helm, Kevin Jones, Christina McIntyre, Sara Vandyke, and Anne-Lise Velez.

The exhibition will run for six months from May to November, with a staggered opening between May 7-10, 2025.