Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech) has announced that its groundbreaking “Tech-Community Driven Living Labs: Fostering Care Ecologies” project has been selected for inclusion in the main exhibition of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, a premier global platform for architectural innovation. This marks a significant achievement as the project is the only university-led initiative from Latin America featured in this year’s central showcase.
The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, themed “Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective” and curated by MIT Professor Carlo Ratti, has convened over 760 individuals and teams to explore the future of the built environment. Monterrey Tech’s project, one of approximately 300 selected, highlights the institution’s commitment to applied research and community-driven solutions.
The “Living Labs” initiative established in three distinct Mexican regions – Julimes, Chihuahua; La Primavera Forest in Jalisco; and the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in Querétaro – showcases the integration of collective, natural, and artificial intelligence to generate replicable solutions for local challenges.
In Julimes, the project facilitated the co-development of arsenic and fluoride water filters and solar-powered greenhouses with drone monitoring to address community health concerns. In Jalisco, nature-based interventions, combining sanitation strategies, environmental education, and regenerative ecotourism, were implemented to revitalize a portion of the Las Tortugas River. The focus in Querétaro was on developing responsible tourism and forest management models within the biosphere reserve.
Emanuele Giorgi, a project lead, stated, “Our labs integrate collective, natural and artificial intelligence to generate replicable solutions.” Alfredo Hidalgo, National Dean of Monterrey Tech’s School of Architecture, Art, and Design, added, “Our participation is aimed at showing how architecture, from a university perspective, can be a critical tool for exploring new ways of living in the face of climate and social challenges.”
The Monterrey Tech team involved approximately 280 students and collaborators in the development of this impactful initiative. Their presence at the Venice Architecture Biennale underscores the university’s role in addressing pressing global environmental and social issues through innovative architectural approaches. The exhibition will continue to highlight the vital role of architecture in tackling these challenges until November 23rd.
