Presskit

Systems of Support. Image: Stahl R

For interviews and press enquiries, please contact:
Elisabeth Kuijt
ekuijt@iabr.nl
+31 (0)6 22 31 23 49

Images are taken by Sabine van der Vooren or Jacqueline van Fuijkschot. Graphic materials are created by Stahl R.

From 18 September to 29 November 2026, the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) presents the 12th edition of the biennale: SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT. From the Piekfabriek on the former Hunter Douglas site in Rotterdam, the biennale explores the economic, ecological and social forces that shape our built environment. What happens when financial interests, scarcity of space and resources, vulnerable trade routes and growing social inequality become increasingly intertwined? SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT reveals these connections and explores the role design can play in creating a just and future proof society.

Three themes: the systems behind water, energy and materials

The biennale brings together designers, researchers, policymakers and the public. Three themes take centre stage: water, energy and materials. The works in the exhibition show how the systems behind them influence our daily lives and living environment. At the same time, they demonstrate how architecture can not only make these systems visible, but also contribute to new ways of organising them.

Curatorial team SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT

The curatorial team of SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT is led by Wouter Veldhuis, architect, urban planner and former Government Advisor on the Physical Living Environment, together with Carola Hein, Professor of History of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Martina Muzi, curator, designer and educator. Together, they explore how design can help make complex systems understandable, tangible and imaginable for everyone.

Their biographies can be found on this page.

Exhibition at the Piekfabriek on the Hunter Douglas site

More than 50 designs, research projects, installations, films and spatial presentations from the Netherlands and abroad reveal how the systems behind water, energy, materials, housing and infrastructure, among others, shape our living environment. They expose where existing systems are under pressure and, above all, explore how things could be done differently. What new possibilities emerge when designers question existing structures and reshape them?

SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT focuses on new economic and spatial systems that do not deplete, but support and restore. Systems centred on public values, ecological balance, proximity, reciprocity and collective resilience. The former factory provides a meaningful setting for this exploration, bringing the history of production and industry together with current questions about housing, work, energy, materials and the future of the city.

At its heart is an exhibition for both a broad audience and professionals working in architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, design, policy and research.

Public program

Alongside the exhibition, SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT presents an extensive public program that further explores and examines the themes of the biennale. Through symposia, guided tours, lectures, conversations, workshops and other activities, the IABR brings together designers, researchers, policymakers, students, residents and the public to exchange knowledge and perspectives and collectively explore new possibilities.

About the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR)

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) is an independent cultural knowledge and design institution that stimulates debate on the spatial implications of today’s societal challenges. Drawing on the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning, the IABR brings together designers, policymakers, researchers and the public to develop new perspectives on the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Climate change, the energy transition, housing, water safety, food security, heat stress and a healthy living environment are ultimately all spatial challenges. Designers help make these complex issues understandable, envision possible alternatives and show how change can take shape. Design research serves as an important instrument and method for developing new insights and identifying possibilities for action.

Since its first edition in 2003, the IABR has demonstrated how design and design research can contribute to societal change. At the heart of its work is the development of a healthy, just and future proof living environment, in balance with people, nature and other ecosystems.

Every two years, the IABR organises an international biennale featuring exhibitions, debates, lectures, workshops, guided tours and other public activities. It provides a space where design, research and society come together, creating new ideas, collaborations and possibilities for action.

In addition, the IABR is active in design research, knowledge development, talent development, collaborations and stimulating public debate on topics including CO2, planetary boundaries, the circular economy and biobased materials. In this way, the IABR plays an agenda setting, connecting and stimulating role within the national and international architectural discourse.