UAE Wins Golden Lion for Best National Participation at 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale

The 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, directed by Hashim Sarkis under the theme "How will we live together?", awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation to the UAE Pavilion, curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto. The jury praised the pavilion for encouraging reflection on waste and production at global and local scales, proposing a construction model linking craftsmanship and advanced technologies. The international jury included Kazuyo Sejima (president), Sandra Barclay, Lamia Joreige, Lesley Lokko, and Luca Molinari. Special mentions went to Russia (curated by Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli) for its sensitive renovation of the historic pavilion, and to the Philippines (curated by Framework Collaborative) for a community project generating an archive of collaborative building practices. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to architect Rafael Moneo on May 22. Other awards included the Golden Lion for best participant to Berlin collective raumlaborberlin, the Silver Lion to Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (FAST), and a special mention to Cave_bureau. A special Golden Lion in memory was given to Lina Bo Bardi. The Biennale runs until November 21, 2021, and the 78th Venice International Film Festival will take place from September 1 to 11.