The 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture, scheduled to open in 2025, is being curated by Carlo Ratti, a Turin-born architect, engineer, and inventor. His professional trajectory connects traditional structural design with digital innovation, challenging the standard static nature of the built environment through projects that utilize real-time data flows and interactive mechanical systems.
Academic Foundations and Research
Ratti completed his education across several international institutions, graduating from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in France and the Politecnico di Torino in Italy. He later earned MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge’s Martin Centre. In 2000, he arrived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Fulbright scholar, where he began his association with the Media Lab and subsequently established the MIT Senseable City Lab. His teaching portfolio includes positions at the Strelka Institute, Harvard University, and the Politecnico di Milano.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Digital-Physical Integration
His architectural approach focuses on the convergence of digital technology and physical infrastructure. Notable early projects include the Digital Water Pavilion at the 2008 World Expo in Zaragoza, which featured dynamic water walls that parted for visitors. His research at the Senseable City Lab has explored urban dynamics through data visualization, such as the Real Time Rome project, which mapped city activity using cellphone data, and the Trash Track initiative, which utilized electronic sensors to monitor waste management systems.
Product and Civic Innovation
Ratti’s firm, CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, maintains offices in Turin, New York, and London. The practice has expanded into industrial design, including the Copenhagen Wheel, which converts standard bicycles into network-connected e-bikes. In 2025, his firm designed the torches for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Titled The Essential, these objects are constructed from recycled aluminum and bio-based polymers, designed with a focus on sustainability and reusable mechanisms.
Fast facts
- Born: 1971, Turin, Italy
- Education: University of Cambridge, Polytechnic University of Turin, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées
- Current Primary Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Design Firm: CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati
- 2025 Role: Curator, 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture
- Awards: Fulbright Scholarship
Questions readers ask
What is the focus of the MIT Senseable City Lab?
The lab studies how digital technologies and networked objects change the interaction between humans and their urban environment.
What are the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic torches made of?
They are constructed from recycled aluminum, a brass alloy, and XL EXTRALIGHT, a bio-based polymer.
Achievements
- Fulbright Scholarship
- Trained at University of Cambridge and Polytechnic University of Turin
