Innovation and technology have advanced dramatically, reshaping the boundaries of design. The Shiseido Forest Valley at Singapore’s Changi Airport stands as a stunning example of this fusion, where nature and architecture converge seamlessly. It prompts a profound question: Can a building truly transform into a living, breathing forest? Can the interior climate of a structure be crafted with the same dynamic balance found in the natural world outside?

Bas Smets responds to this question through the use of 200 tropical plants inside the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, 2025, located in the Giardini. Titled ‘Building Biospheres,’ the project explores nature as an operational layer of architecture. Co-curators, Landscape architect Bas Smets and neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, not only investigate how the natural plant intelligence can be harnessed to create an indoor climate but also develop prototypes to demonstrate it. The innovation is grounded in the idea of architecture as a microclimate, a shared environment where humans and plants can coexist and thrive.

‘Building Biospheres’ bridges a gap between what the plants need, what the building can handle and what people desire.  

Commissioned by Flanders Architecture Institute, this Pavilion is a functioning prototype and a move away from buildings as static enclosures. In conversation with landscape architect and founder of Bas Smets Bureau, Bas Smets. His realised projects include the ‘Parc des Ateliers in Arles,’ ‘Thurn & Taxis’ in Brussels, the public space around the Trinity Tower in Paris La Défense, the Sunken Garden and Mandrake Hotel in London, and the Himara Waterfront in Albania. Smets was a recipient of the international competition for public space around the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, in 2022.

Also read: Eat, Stay, Explore: A Day Of Slow Travel, Local Flavours & Quiet Corners Of Venice

Design Pataki: How does the Belgian Pavilion respond to the Biennale’s overarching theme, ‘Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective’?

Bas Smets: ‘Building Biospheres’ is a direct response to the Biennale’s title. The project integrates three types of intelligence into one architectural system. The ‘Natural intelligence’ is represented by the plants themselves. They are not decorative, but responsive organisms capable of sensing their environment and regulating their microclimate. The ‘Artificial intelligence’ acts as a mediator. It reads physiological data from the plants—photosynthesis, transpiration, leaf temperature and translates it into actions: watering, ventilation, and lighting. The system learns over time. The ‘Collective intelligence’ is found in the interdisciplinary collaboration: landscape architects, biologists, ecophysiologists, software developers, and young architects working as one design team.

Design Pataki: What was the breakthrough moment when you first realised that AI could be used to emphasise the symbiotic relation between humans, plants, and buildings?

Bas Smets: The breakthrough came when we realised that plants were sending us information – we just didn’t know how to listen. Working with researchers at Ghent University, we began to detect and interpret plant signals such as changes in transpiration, photosynthesis, and humidity. However, raw data was not enough. We needed a system that could respond immediately and intelligently. That’s where we incorporated AI to allow us to build a feedback loop between the plants and the building: when the plant needs water, the system provides it; when conditions shift, the environment adapts.

At this point, we stopped designing for plants and started designing with them. The AI enables the building to behave like an ecosystem: self-regulating, reactive, and alive.

“The real innovation was to understand architecture not as a backdrop, but as an interface between human and non-human intelligences.”

Design Pataki: Can you break down the idea of Plant Intelligence and its implications for developing technologies?

Bas Smets: Plant intelligence is distributed. Plants don’t have a brain, but they sense and process information through every part of their body, in their roots, leaves, and stems. They respond to light, moisture, gravity, and even touch. Finally, they adapt their behaviour accordingly. This form of intelligence is not metaphorical; it is measurable.

With sensors and algorithms, we can now decode plant responses and translate them into actionable data. This opens a new role for technology: instead of controlling the environment, it listens to the organisms within it and adapts. In ‘Building Biospheres,’ plant signals are used to control architectural systems directly. This is no longer about biomimicry – it’s about biological agency embedded in architecture.

“As technology advances, we can imagine buildings where living systems co-author the climate, the rhythm, and even the design process itself.”

Also read: Architecture Is Portable: Andblack Design Studio’s Darwin Bucky Rewrites The Rules Of Construction

Design Pataki: ‘Building Biospheres’ focuses on over 200 subtropical plants. Can you identify some of these species and explain why they were selected?

Bas Smets: Together with botanist Erik De Waele, we selected over 200 plants from the world’s subtropical zones. Three key species include Magnolia grandiflora, with broad evergreen leaves, high transpiration with a strong structure; Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor tree), they are aromatic, resilient, with a dense canopy for shade and cooling and Schinus molle (Pepper tree), known to be fine foliage drought-resistant that modulates light and air. These plants were chosen because they are active agents. Their physiological data feeds into the system, which adapts accordingly.

“It’s a new way of thinking about landscape, not as a background, but as an operational layer of architecture.”

Design Pataki: What is the future of plant intelligence in a rapidly urbanising world?

Bas Smets: Urbanisation is putting increasing pressure on natural systems. In this context, plant intelligence becomes not just relevant – it becomes essential. Plants are natural climate engineers as they cool the air, filter it, store water, create shade and much more. But with the help of technology, we can now let them inform architecture directly. This changes everything!

“Buildings can become more than machines – they can become ecosystems.”

We don’t believe plant intelligence will replace mechanical systems overnight. But it can significantly reduce energy consumption and bring a new kind of adaptability. We are already testing this in ‘Building Biospheres.’ The next step is scaling up: into public buildings, hospitals and airports. Ultimately, we must stop designing against the biosphere and begin designing within it.

Design Pataki: Are you researching other technologies or models you hope to launch soon?

Bas Smets: Right now, our focus is on this year-long test of ‘Building Biospheres.’ Six months in a controlled greenhouse in Ghent, six months in the Belgian Pavilion in Venice. Across this duration, we’re collecting real-time data: energy use, water needs, and cooling performance. This prototype will show us whether this system is scalable and how it might perform in larger public buildings. It’s not speculative but operational research in a real-world context.

Design Pataki: Is there an installation at the Biennale that caught your attention?

Bas Smets: We’ve been fully occupied with our installation, but I’m looking forward to seeing the Arsenale exhibition curated by Carlo Ratti. His approach to adaptive systems is always worth following. I am also keen to see the national pavilions of Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Denmark.

Also read: A Guide To The Arsenale At The Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

Design Pataki: What do you hope people take away from the pavilion?

Bas Smets: The key takeaway is that plants can do more than survive inside buildings – they can help shape them. Architecture can be a shared space between humans and other forms of intelligence. If the prototype works, it changes the question from how do we condition a building to how do we let the building condition itself?

Design Pataki: Any new projects you’re working on?

Bas Smets: Yes! We’re preparing the landscape for Notre-Dame de Paris, starting early next year. We’re also working on the Giardino dei Limoni at Villa Medici in Rome in July. We will open the exhibition Climates of Landscape at the Luma Foundation in Arles

Design Pataki: What would be a dream venue to expand ‘Building Biospheres’?

Bas Smets: Any large-scale public building: airports, hospitals, universities. These are the places where climate control is essential and where the logic of ‘Building Biospheres’ can have the most meaningful impact.

‘Building Biospheres’ will be on display at the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale till November 23, 2025.