Material Bank Matter Make Sense

19th International Architecture Exhibition

Material Bank. Matters Make Sense explores sensory perception as a primary form of intelligence, highlighting how innovative materials shape architectural knowledge, cultural narratives, and ecological awareness within a shared, evolving environment.

Starts at

10 May 2025

Ends at

23 Nov 2025

Location

Venezia

Summary

Material Bank. Matters Make Sense is a special project by Politecnico di Milano that investigates the sensory dimension of material culture in architecture. Curated by Stefano Capolongo, Ingrid Paoletti, Margherita Palli, and Nobel laureate Konstantin Novosëlov, the exhibition responds to the Biennale’s theme IntelliGens by showcasing innovative materials and their architectural applications. Structured as a tactile and exploratory experience, the installation merges human and artificial intelligence through matter. Visitors navigate a curated selection of material systems in a unicursal labyrinth, engaging with sensory and speculative content. The project invites critical reflection on how materials influence design, well-being, and our ecological future.

Gallery

The Special Project Material Bank. Matters Make Sense explores the foundational role of sensory engagement as a primary form of human intelligence, rooted in our ongoing interaction with the environment. This intuitive process enables continuous discovery, shaping our understanding of the world. Matter, as a boundary object, connects people, the built and natural environments, and the cultural narratives they represent, fostering collective well-being.

Politecnico di Milano as university deeply cares about the development and dissemination of a Material Culture, responding to contemporary issues of climate change and urbanization. By merging technical and humanistic disciplines, the institution promotes a holistic educational approach, cultivating architects and designers equipped with both vertical expertise and horizontal knowledge.
 
The exhibition is the result of a curatorial collaboration between Stefano Capolongo, Ingrid Maria Paoletti, Margherita Palli—an internationally acclaimed set designer—and Nobel laureate Konstantin Novosëlov, winner in Physics in 2010 for his work on graphene and currently working on intelligent materials. 
 
The main objective of Material Bank. Matters Make Sense is to show and explore the interplay between innovative materials and architectural application in line with the main theme IntelliGens at the XIX Biennale of Venice. The critical role of ‘sensing’ materiality emerges as a bridge between natural and artificial intelligence, addressing contemporary challenges while empowering architects and designers to research and adopt new materials thoughtfully.
 
The exhibition offers a dual-purpose space: on one side it presents a curated selection of material systems gathered through an open call, while on the other it is designed to inspire discoveries and unexpected insights. Drawing inspiration from Aby Warburg's Law of the Good Neighbour, a unicursal labyrinth encourages exploration showcasing a diverse range of material systems, where each material is designed to direct visitors' attention to nearby exhibits. This experience nurtures curiosity, driven by individual interests rather than rigid narratives.
 
The space is structured in different moments: the first one similar to a periodic table, a tactile exploration of the mock-up’s materials with a dedicated class mark which enriches the experience, offering insights into material properties, transformations, and architectural applications. Lastly, a sensing core inviting immersive interaction, where matter allows the visitor to feel its body and a glimpse to AI-generated materials yet to exist. 
 
In conclusion, the installation examines contemporary material research and cultural practices in architecture, prompting a critical reflection on their potential to enhance well-being and address pressing global challenges. By fostering material awareness, it invites visitors to perceive the environment not as passive but as an active participant in our shared cultural and ecological future—an invitation to connect past traditions with forward-looking innovation.

Participants:
  •  Stefano Capolongo, Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering (DABC); Politecnico di Milano
  • Ingrid Maria Paoletti, Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction
    Engineering (DABC); Politecnico di Milano
  • Margherita Palli, Set designer
  • Konstantin Novosëlov, National University of Singapore, Nobel Prize for Graphene

Authorial Collaborators
  •  Matteo Ruta, Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction
Engineering (DABC); Politecnico di Milano
  • Giuseppe Andreoni, Department of Design (DESIGN); Politecnico di Milano
  • MariaPia Pedeferri, Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering
    “Giulio Natta” (CMIC); Politecnico di Milano
  • Alper Kanyilmaz, Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction
    Engineering (DABC); Politecnico di Milano
  • Federico Leoni, Dipartimento di Scienze Umane (DipSum), Università degli Studi di
    Verona
  • Giovanni Maria Conti, Department of Design (DESIGN); Politecnico di Milano
  • Martina Motta, Department of Design (DESIGN); Politecnico di Milano

Technical Collaborators
  •  Material Balance Research Lab – Politecnico di Milano
  •  MaBa.SaperLab – Politecnico di Milano
  •  Design & Health Lab – Politecnico di Milano
  •  KnitDesign.Polimi Research Group – Politecnico di Milano

Team Members
  •  Material Balance Research Lab - Lucia Castellani, Giorgio Castellano, Danilo Casto,
Pietro Augusto Falcinelli, Federica Pradella, Roberta Salierno
  • MaBa.SaperLab - Saverio Pasquale Spadafora, Maria Giovanna Di Bitonto
  • KnitDesign.Polimi Research Group – Giovanni Maria Conti, Martina Motta, Michele
    Fumagalli, Diego Dani
  •  Design & Health Lab - Andrea Brambilla, Andrea Rebecchi
  • Set Design Assistant - Margherita Airaghi

Thanks
Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering – Politecnico di Milano

Supporters
  •  NextSense srl / BIOVITAE
  •  REair srl
  •  Giovanardi di Carlo Giovanardi & C. snc
  •  Design Materials
  •  National University of Singapore
  •  CellyteX UG
  •  Lanificio dell'Olivo




Associated researches

Contemporary Material and Technological Culture

Perception, Materiality and Future Scenarios