In a time of accelerating change and short-term thinking, architecture must respond with long-term vision. What if we designed for centuries rather than decades? As climate change, technology, and culture evolve, global discourse is shifting toward resilience, circular systems, and participatory design. Gensler’s 500-Year Building exhibit at the Venice Biennale highlights regenerative approaches to design that merge innovation, storytelling, and ecological responsibility.

The 500-Year Building is both installation and experience, guiding visitors through conceptual “windows” into various imagined futures shaped by changing relationships between people, planet, and place. A series of films and layered narratives challenge perceptions of permanence in architecture. At its core is Posts from the Future, an AI-powered storytelling platform that creates personalized postcards from regenerative design themes — turning the exhibit into a dynamic archive of collective vision.

Debuting at Palazzo Mora during the Time Space Existence exhibition, The 500-Year Building rethinks architectural timelines. Expected to reach over 800,000 visitors over a seven-month run, it fosters global conversation on the emotional and ecological roles of design. By inviting participation, the exhibit positions architecture as a living cultural narrative that adapts over time with the communities it serves.