The Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates announces its forthcoming exhibition, Pressure Cooker, at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Emirati architect and scholar Azza Aboualam, the exhibition investigates the evolving relationship between architecture and food production in the UAE, proposing innovative solutions for more sustainable food production at both individual and communal scales. Through a research-based approach, Pressure Cooker explores themes of self-sufficiency and introduces architectural solutions specifically designed for arid environments.
By reimagining the greenhouse for arid climates, the exhibition offers new perspectives on food security, an issue of growing urgency both regionally and globally. With climate change disrupting agricultural systems, traditional farming methods face mounting threats, from soil degradation to temperature extremes. Recent studies suggest that a significant portion of global food production could be at risk by the end of the century if emissions continue to rise.
Pressure Cooker examines how local expertise in food production has adapted to the specific climatic and environmental conditions of the Gulf region over time. It situates the UAE’s food production landscape within this global context, emphasizing the need for adaptable practices.
The exhibition builds on archival research and fieldwork to examine existing food-growing infrastructures in the UAE, located in resource-rich landscapes that are often obscured, overlooked, or physically separated from urban centers. The project explores local design solutions that were conceived under conditions of food scarcity over the years, ranging from the vernacular to the technologically sophisticated. By experimenting with a series of greenhouse assemblies, Pressure Cooker looks into how architecture can respond to the UAE’s and the globe’s food security challenges, resulting in a possible future in which these forms can be integrated throughout our built and lived environments.
Research findings by Aboualam, to be exhibited in Venice and supplemented with an accompanying publication, will present the different ways in which food, architecture, and the built environment overlap.
The National Pavilion UAE continues to collaborate with local institutions, such as Zayed University in an ongoing commitment to support research of cultural practitioners, curators and scholars, within the UAE.
The National Pavilion UAE will present its exhibition for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition from 10 May to 23 November 2025 (pre-opening on 8 and 9 May). The Biennale Architettura 2025 will be curated by Italian architect, engineer, and educator Carlo Ratti with the title Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.
The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture and has a permanent pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia’s Arsenale – Saled’Armi.
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