The 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2025
In 2025, Thomas Heatherwick was General Director of the 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, the biggest public architecture festival in Asia. Over the course of 54 days (from 26 September to 18 November), the Biennale explored how buildings and cities can be made radically more human. This free cultural event embraced mass citizen participation, attracting more than 811,000 visitors. It moved beyond the echo chamber of our industry and created a major public conversation about how citizens themselves feel about the buildings which surround them. The centrepiece of the whole Biennale was the Humanise Wall in Songhyeon Green Plaza. This four-storey-high, 90m-long structure was made of 1,428 steel tiles filled with images and ideas from citizens, scientists and designers. It showcased 400 buildings from across the world to demonstrate what engaging, joyful architecture can look like. At its centre the Wall twisted dramatically like a ribbon, forming a canopied gateway drawing people into the park. Nearby stood the Walls of Public Life. These were a series of 24 different building façades, made from a wild array of materials, textures and patterns.
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