Flushless Toilets, Plastic Reuse, and More Ideas From the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale

Imagine a toilet that never needs to be flushed. Arid desert land converted into abundant living spaces. Plastic yellow gallon oil containers upcycled into chairs and houses. These are just a few of the dozens of ideas from across the world that are on display right now at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 Show which will be open to the public for another month. The festival is meant to be an "agent of change" and this year's theme is the Laboratory of the Future.

Curated by Ghanaian-Scottish architect Lesley Lokko, this year's show is distinctly African with more than half the exhibits coming from the continent with the fastest-growing population in the world. Events like this offer the chance to combine artists' visions with architects’ concepts to radically different visions of humanity's future. It's not often you can see this diversity of imaginings for the future all in one place. If you have a bit of time, I highly recommend scrolling through images and descriptions of the many countries' pavilions for yourself.