10 Pavilion Highlights from the London Design Biennale 2025

The fifth edition of the London Design Biennale is taking place at Somerset House from 5 to 29 June 2025. The theme of this year's edition is "Surface Reflections," an invitation to explore "the dynamic interplay between internal experience and external influence." The curatorial proposal, set by British artist and designer Samuel Ross, encourages a focus on the underlying layers of the objects, systems, and spaces that shape our daily lives. The Biennale exhibition is a journey through 35 pavilions by countries, institutional design teams, and curators, presenting soundscapes, immersive experiences, and performances, as well as sculptural and evocative objects. To confront contemporary global challenges, topics include identity, memory, innovation, technology, craftsmanship, ecology, and belonging.

From Milan to Chicago: Architecture Now and the Leading Practices of Herzog & de Meuron, Gensler, and Heatherwick

From Milan's Scalo Farini to downtown Chicago, and from the Tuscan countryside to the UK's retrofit initiatives, recent announcements demonstrate how architecture is evolving in response to climate goals, cultural identity, and urban transformation. Herzog & de Meuron's new headquarters for UniCredit will anchor one of Europe's largest redevelopment sites with a focus on sustainability and workplace innovation, while Gensler's stadium design for Chicago Fire FC aims to redefine the U.S. matchday experience as part of a major waterfront development. In Tuscany, Alvisi Kirimoto's Sapaio Pavilion merges agricultural production with architectural sensitivity, and in the UK, RIBA and The King's Foundation are advancing retrofit as a national agenda. Meanwhile, finalists including MVRDV, Heatherwick Studio, and Mecanoo are advancing in an international competition to create a climate landmark intended to inspire large-scale behavioral change. This edition of Architecture Now brings together diverse yet interconnected efforts to shape how architecture can support long-term ecological, cultural, and civic impact.

National Portrait Gallery Sainsbury Wing / Selldorf Architects

"We all miss out when anyone thinks that the National Gallery is not for them. Selldorf Architects' thoughtful interventions make the Gallery entrance lighter, more welcoming, and more visible as a public space. We hope many visitors may step inside for the first time, and those who have come before can experience a different start to their visit and view of our collection." - Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery. The National Gallery's new main entrance opens to the public on May 10th. Designed by Selldorf Architects, a New York practice led by Annabelle Selldorf, in close collaboration with Purcell heritage architects, it is a key element in the £85m NG200 Welcome building programme initiated to mark the National Gallery's 200th anniversary. It will enable the Gallery to receive its millions of annual visitors, substantially increased from when the Sainsbury Wing was first conceived. The renovated Sainsbury Wing will improve access for all while enhancing the public realm in Trafalgar Square. Security measures at the Sainsbury Wing will be unobtrusive and wayfinding intuitive. The project includes a spacious café, restaurant, and bookshop.

Weekend House in Matogata / lyhty

This is a three-story house with a mixed structure of RC on the first floor and wood and steel on the second and third floors. It was built in the Matogata district in the southwestern part of Hyogo Prefecture. The Matogata district has long prospered from commerce and salt fields, and the streetscape offers glimpses of its former charm. The site is located in the southernmost area of the Matogata district, between an inlet and a small mountain. With a shrine to the southwest and a small mountain to the west, the site overlooks the Seto Inland Sea to the south and the inlet to the east. An architecture that would enjoy this rich view was desired. The aim was to create a building that would not be out of place in the site's beautiful landscape and would not make a strong statement.

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