Contrary to a hoax April Fool’s post on Instagram by Hyperallergic, the U.S. Pavilion at 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia has not been cancelled and will soon debut in Italy. The co-commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion—Peter MacKeith, Susan Chin, and Rod Bigelow—shared visuals this week of PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity. The unveiling comes just a few weeks before the festivities begin, and the Aperol Spritzes flow. Marlon Blackwell Architects, D.I.R.T Studio, TEN x TEN Studio, Stephen Burks Man Made, and Jonathan Boelkins are behind the structures inside and outside the U.S. Pavilion, a 1930s building by Delano & Aldrich. Visuals of the U.S. Pavilion show the venue’s courtyard entry shaded by a folding timber structure painted powder blue, topped with fir boards. In an article for The New York Times, MacKeith said the overall design posits a “new front door.” The interior will have a graphic that explains the history of the American porch. (Luxigon/Courtesy Co-Commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion) The structure’s underside comes together to create a jagged, irregular sawtooth profile. The assembly recalls the Paul Andersen and Paul Preissner co-curated U.S. Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, American Framing. The U.S. Pavilion will be stocked with 54 designs that all relate to the exhibition theme, the American porch. Among those participating, reported by AN in February, are Auburn University’s Rural Studio, Brooks + Scarpa, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, Lake|Flato, SO – IL, and many others. Inside the pavilion, a wood floor is complemented by wood plinths and other display structures that showcase drawings, models, photography, and literature that tell the story of the American porch. Places Journal was invited by the co-commissioners to curate a “citizen’s library” at the U.S. Pavilion, among other installations that will take place there. The jurors who selected projects were Austen Barron Bailly, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary; Julie Bargmann, D.I.R.T. studio; Marlon Blackwell, Marlon Blackwell Architects; Stephen Burks, Stephen Burks Man Made; Josephine Minutillo, Architectural Record; Justin Garrett Moore, Mellon Foundation; and Jack Murphy, The Architect’s Newspaper. The framing assembly will provide shade in the hot summer heat. (Luxigon/Courtesy Co-Commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion) The courtyard will host a variety of uses, including dance performances. The co-commissioners previously shared that Apple Seeds Teaching Farm—a nonprofit based in Fayetteville, Arkansas—will provide food at the U.S. Pavilion. Poetry readings and musical performances will take place on Juneteenth and July 4, 2025. Carlo Ratti is the chief curator of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. The overarching theme is Intelligens; it seeks to explore Venice as living laboratory and themes related to natural intelligence, artificial intelligence, and collective intelligence. The 19th International Architecture Exhibition will be held in Venice from May 24 to November 23, 2025.