The Biennale Architettura 2025 may be winding down in Venice, but conversations about architecture and design are still happening in full force at the festival. On October 25 the biennale’s head curator Carlo Ratti will take part in a “debate” with Justin Shubow. Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society and former chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, is outspoken about his opinions on the aesthetics of civic architecture and supports President Trump’s recent executive order that mandates a classical architecture style as the preferred style for the design of federal buildings.
“Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again: A Debate” will convene Ratti and Shubow to discuss the value of public input and how classical architecture fits, or doesn’t fit, into our current landscape. The talk “aims to bridge traditional preferences with contemporary approaches, sparking new ideas for the future of public architecture,” a press release from the National Civic Art Society stated.
The event puts Ratti and Shubow on stage together, however, their dialogues about design have been ongoing. The talk was spurred from a series of op-eds published in the Financial Times. In September, Ratti wrote an op-ed, “Don’t Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again.” In the piece he calls for “experimentation” in architecture. On September 12, Shubow wrote his own opinion piece in response, writing how he believes Ratti got it wrong. “Focusing on technological innovation and the use of new materials, Ratti downplays the significance of aesthetics,” he wrote.
Another prominent voice within architecture weighed in too. Norman Foster published his own op-ed on the subject, just days later.
Trump’s executive order was signed in August, and his ideas for mandating the design of classical architecture have been circulating widely since his first term. AIA has denounced a preferred architectural style for federal buildings. Ratti and Shubow’s conversation elevates the design debate to the global stage.
“Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again: A Debate” will take place on October 25 at 2:30 p.m. CEST at the Speakers’ Corner in the Corderie dell’Arsenale. To attend visitors must have an exhibition ticket for the Biennale Architettura 2025.
→ Continue reading at The Architect's Newspaper
