Gensler Reimagines the Future of Architecture with ‘The 500-Year Building’ During the 2025 Venice Biennale

At the Time Space Existence Exhibition, Gensler’s Installation Envisions Architecture as a Living System — Powered by Creativity, Technology, and Hope

VENICE — What if we stopped designing for decades — and started designing for centuries? At the 2025 edition of Time Space Existence, the international exhibition hosted by the European Cultural Centre, Gensler unveils The 500-Year Building — an immersive installation that envisions a radically regenerative tomorrow. Blending forward-looking design together with technology and art, the exhibit imagines architecture not as something fixed, but alive — evolving with time, place, and people.

“In a world that too often plans in five-year increments, we’re challenging ourselves — and others — to imagine architecture that lasts hundreds,” said Jordan Goldstein, Co-CEO of Gensler. “This installation is not about predicting the future; it’s about opening creative space to invent it. It’s about embracing possibility, dreaming boldly, and designing with empathy across generations.”

A Story Told Across Centuries

Visitors begin their experience with an introduction to the installation’s core themes: resilience, adaptability, and the radical imagination needed to design for a shifting world. From there, the space unfolds through a series of conceptual “windows,” each revealing a vision of the built environment shaped by shifting relationships between people, technology, and the planet. As guests journey through the exhibit, they travel further forward in time — eventually arriving at speculative scenarios 500 years from now. These glimpses are brought to life through 12 different short films, illustrated story panels, ambient sound, and layered provocations that show how the built environment might transform and respond to planetary and social change.

At its heart is Posts from the Future — an interactive AI-powered storytelling tool visualized in real time. Visitors choose from regenerative design themes and generate one-of-a-kind visual “postcards from tomorrow.” These digital dreams can be shared, saved, or added to a growing community wall within the space — turning the exhibit into a living archive of collective imagination.

Designing with the Future in Mind

Unlike traditional design frameworks that emphasize permanence or preservation, The 500-Year Building centers on adaptability. It asks us to imagine architecture as a responsive system — regenerative, inclusive, and capable of growing in rhythm with ecosystems and human needs.

Drawing from Gensler’s research in resilience, circularity, and participatory design, the installation bridges practical inquiry with creative speculation. It’s less about predicting one future, and more about imagining many — each rooted in optimism, agency, and environmental stewardship.

About Time Space Existence 2025

Running from May 10 to November 23, Time Space Existence brings together over 200 architects, designers, and thinkers from 52 countries across Palazzo Mora, Palazzo Bembo, and the Marinaressa Gardens. This year’s edition — Repair, Regenerate, Reuse — spotlights works that challenge norms and push the boundaries of what architecture can be.

As a platform for global dialogue, Time Space Existence seeks to challenge assumptions, ignite collaboration, and spark new visions for the built environment — making Venice not just a backdrop, but a site of radical possibility.

About Gensler

At Gensler, the value of our work stems from its positive impact on the human experience. We are a dynamic and collaborative design firm uniting creativity, research, and innovation to solve complex problems for our clients. Our work challenges conventional ideas about architecture and the built environment. We aren’t just designing buildings — we are reimagining cities and places that make a difference in people’s lives. Founded in 1965, Gensler has built a team of 6,000 professionals who partner with clients in over 100 countries each year. Everything we do is guided by our mission: to create a better world through the power of design.