Cover Space Garden by Heatherwick Studio and the Aurelia Institute (Photo: Raquel Diniz)
Space Garden by Heatherwick Studio and the Aurelia Institute (Photo: Raquel Diniz)
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At the Venice Architecture Biennale, Space Garden by Heatherwick Studio rethinks off-world infrastructure as a plant-filled sanctuary
On display in the Arsenale as part of the main exhibition, Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., curated by Carlo Ratti for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, Space Garden by Heatherwick Studio and the Aurelia Institute is an experiment in design-led regeneration that rethinks orbital infrastructure as a plant-filled sanctuary.
Developed in collaboration with the MIT-affiliated Aurelia Institute, Space Garden imagines a near-Earth orbit greenhouse composed of 30 modular pods, each containing a plant species cultivated for its ecological or cultural significance. Its centrepiece: a pomegranate tree, one of the earliest plants domesticated by humans. The modular structure—equipped with shielding, solar panels, and climate-control mechanisms developed with Daikin—proposes a vision of space not as a hostile void to be endured, but as a fertile frontier for cross-disciplinary innovation.
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Space Garden by Heatherwick Studio and the Aurelia Institute (Photo: Raquel Diniz)
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Yet Space Garden resists the techno-utopianism often associated with off-world architecture. “I’m fascinated by outer space,” studio founder Thomas Heatherwick notes, “but not in its own right. Instead, by its potential to help humans live better lives on earth.” From bio-manufacturing to mental health, the project suggests that by moving select industries off-planet, we might alleviate pressure on our biosphere and restore earth as a garden planet. In doing so, it reframes space exploration as stewardship—and
not escapism.
Whether this speculative installation leads to a working prototype remains to be seen. But in a Biennale that urges architects to rethink intelligence—natural, artificial, and collective—Heatherwick’s contribution feels both poetic as well as provocatively practical. Space Garden challenges design to think beyond the bounds of gravity, while grounding its purpose firmly
at home.
Jakarta-born, Bandung-raised and Singapore-based, Asih Jenie trained in Visual Communication Design at Bandung Institute of Technology and Architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University. She brings both rigour and heart to design journalism, infused with a distinct Southeast Asian voice.
As a child, she doodled on the edges of her schoolbooks and never outgrew her fascination with all things well-made and well-told. Her 15-year career spans editorial roles and bylines in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia, across spatial design titles such as Dwell Asia, Cubes, Design Anthology, Habitus Living, and Home & Decor.
After a brief stint in public relations, she returned to publishing in 2023 to lead Tatler Homes Singapore, where she continues to tell stories about how we shape the spaces that shape us.
