CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and Höweler + Yoon Architecture design AquaPraça, a floating cultural plaza to become the focal point of COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil.
AquaPraça will be unveiled on 5 September in Venice by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, in partnership with the COP30 Presidency.
AquaPraça harnesses sensing technologies and Archimedes' principle to adapt to changing sea levels and occupancy demands, serving as a platform for global climate dialogue. The project will debut at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia on 5 September, before making its transatlantic journey to the Brazilian port city of Belém, where it will become a permanent cultural infrastructure.
Spanning over 400 square meters (4,000 square feet), AquaPraça’s design creates a public space buoyed by the sea, shaping a physical dialogue between the built environment and natural forces. The submersible structure floats using principles of equilibrium, displacement, and buoyancy. Holding and releasing water, AquaPraça constantly calibrates to maintain a minimal freeboard with the surrounding water level. The public experiences the dynamic fluctuations of sea level rise at eye level, creating new perspectives on natural and urban systems.
Functionally, AquaPraça aims to serve as a civic catalyst. It can host over 150 people for exhibitions, workshops, symposia, and cultural events. Debuting during the Biennale Architettura in September 2025, it will then travel sustainably to Belém, where it will serve as an integral part of the Italian Pavilion at COP30. After the summit, the platform will remain as part of Belém’s cultural infrastructure—a lasting cultural legacy in the Amazonian Basin.
AquaPraça was made possible through a unique international coalition. Launched in partnership with CIHEAM Bari and the World Bank Group’s Connect4Climate program, and with the support of BF International – Member of BF S.p.A. Group (as AquaPraça COP30 Naming Partner), Bloomberg Philanthropies, ENEL, and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. Its design underscores its mission: to unite diverse communities and advance ecological thinking.
“The concept of a floating forum is truly innovative and aligns perfectly with our vision for COP30,” says Andre Corrêa do Lago, President of COP30. “Bringing this structure to Brazil would create a striking and symbolic presence at the conference, highlighting our commitment to sustainability. Moreover, it could serve as a lasting legacy of our joint efforts and a continuous reminder of the importance of sustainability.”
“In 1979, Aldo Rossi launched the Teatro del Mondo at the first Biennale Architettura, positing that architecture could engage with the past. Today, AquaPraça shows how architecture can engage with the future—by responding to climate and engaging with nature rather than resisting it,” says Carlo Ratti, professor at MIT and the Politecnico di Milano, co-founder of CRA, and director of the Biennale Architettura 2025.
“AquaPraça lets visitors meet the sea at eye level,” says Eric Höweler, co-founder of Höweler + Yoon and a Professor at Harvard University. “Its sloping surfaces and shifting levels embody a delicate equilibrium.” “It’s a platform, both literal and figurative, for deepening our collective understanding and experience of sea level rise and the impacts of climate change on global cities and communities,” adds J. Meejin Yoon, co-founder of Höweler + Yoon and the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean at Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, “and seeking collective solutions".
“Cimolai is honored to be part of such an innovative and symbolic project as AquaPraça,” comments Marco Sciarra, President of Cimolai SpA. “The real challenge was to complete the platform in record time—within just five months, we finalized the structural design, construction, and certification, while seamlessly integrating both architectural and engineering aspects. This floating cultural platform not only highlights Italian engineering excellence and the ability to tackle complex challenges, but also combines technology and sustainability to provide concrete solutions for communities affected by climate change. For Cimolai, it is a unique opportunity to strengthen Italy’s role both in scientific progress and in the global dialogue on architecture and climate.”
AquaPraça will be unveiled at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia on 5 September 2025, before traveling to Brazil. From 10 to 21 November 2025, it will be anchored in Belém as part of the Italy Pavilion at COP30, and afterwards, it will remain in the Amazon as a permanent floating cultural infrastructure, symbolizing adaptability and dialogue in the face of climate change.
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Press release and images courtesy of CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati
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