COOL FOREST
Cool Forest was an installation led by SCAPE for the the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective,” curated by Carlo Ratti in 2025. The Cool Forest project spotlights Venice’s changing climate and the role of landscape as essential urban infrastructure.
The installation features trees that are adapted to hotter, drier weather—assisting plant migration that is essential in designing resilient landscapes. Embedded sensors track thermal comfort, tree growth, and change within the installation, while an expanded sensor network tracks microclimate conditions across the city of Venice. Lined with coir logs that double as shady comfortable seating, elements of the installation will be planted and redeployed in the city and lagoon after the exhibition closes. The GSD team, which included Max Piana, Craig Douglas (GSD), Justin Booz,(GSD/ETH), and MLA students, developed the sensor, light display, and real time data interpretation in Cool Forest.
You can explore the Cool Forest and data here.
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COOL FOREST INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD
The COOL FOREST website allows for interaction with real time data and an introduction to the science of how trees cool cities.
IN PRESS
Cool Forest and Cybernetic Landscapes
In PREP
Cool Forest…