The Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale presents a thought-provoking project titled Archi/Tree/tecture, which explores the connection between architecture, identity, and urban nature. Organized by the National Architects Association of Lithuania and curated by Gintaras Balčytis, the exhibition aims to invite audiences to a deeper understanding of the interaction between the built environment and the surrounding nature—an interaction often overlooked in many rapid urban development processes.
The exhibition, centered around the concept of “urban memory,” reminds us that many of today’s neighborhoods were once covered by dense trees and natural landscapes. The removal of ancient trees does not only mean the destruction of a natural element but also the loss of collective memory, neighborhood history, and the city’s identity. Inspired by its cultural heritage—especially a tradition that holds nature, trees, and rivers as sacred—the Lithuanian project strives to revive these forgotten values within contemporary architectural discussions.
The exhibition is designed as an indoor installation held within the historic Santa Maria dei Derelitti Church. The space combines physical, audio, and visual elements, including the root of an uprooted tree symbolizing the separation and rupture between human and natural connections, models of contemporary architectural projects inspired by nature, and videos that use spatial scans to depict the relationship between architecture and the biosphere.
In another part of the project, a group of researchers from over 14 European universities come together within the framework of a program called Architecture Beyond Architects to propose innovative solutions for achieving climate-neutral urban design. This part of the project will conclude with a public symposium at the end of summer 2025. Lithuania’s pavilion, under the motto Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., participates in this edition of the Biennale with a fresh approach to sustainable architecture—one that emphasizes emotional understanding, collective collaboration, and a deep connection with nature. Alongside other national pavilions such as those from Peru, Lebanon, Uruguay, and Belgium, this exhibition contributes to a broad dialogue about the relationship between architecture, environment, memory, and collective resilience.