Alongside the physical installation Heatwave at the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Pavilion – commissioned by HE Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities – at the 2025 Venice Biennale, curator Andrea Faraguna produced an accompanying publication featuring essays, technical details, and photography to further explore the topic of passively mitigating extreme heat in urban environments.
Transsolar associates, Jonathon Brearley and Viola Zhang, were invited to contribute to the publication. Their essay draws from Transsolar's current and previous work in climates with extreme heat conditions to contemplate the need for a "new vernacular". Brearley and Zhang opine on the role of technology in a passive-first, low-tech, warming world. They argue that the role of technology ought to be rooted in praxis rather than product. From Singapore to Damascus, they reflect on the process of learning, designing, and implementing low-tech cooling methods that emphasize the potential of starting simple, examining context, and borrowing across borders.
Commissioner: HE Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities
Deputy Commissioner: Noura Al Sayeh-Holtrop
Pavilion Coordinators: Batool Al Shaikh, Sara Ali
Curation, Design, and Research Lead: Andrea Faraguna
Publication Contributors: Abdulla Janahi, Alexander Puzrin, Caitlin Mueller, Eduardo Gascón Alvarez, Jonathon Brearley, Laila Al Shaikh, Latifa Al Khayat, Leslie Norford, Maitham Al Mubarak, Maryam Al Jomairi, Mohammad Salim, Paris Bezanis, Viola Zhang, Wafa Al Ghatam
Research Contributors: concept developed with sub, Deniz Celtek, Eugenio Superchi, Freddy Vetter, Gösta Andreas Lönn Grill, Julia Wiesiollek, Paris Bezanis, Roula Assaf
Exhibition Contributors: Abdulla Janahi, Alexander Puzrin, Eman Ali, Laila Al Shaikh, Maitham Al Mubarak, Mario Monotti, Mohammad Salim
Publication Editor: Andrea Faraguna
Graphic Design: Samuel Bänziger, Rosario Florio, Larissa Kasper
Photography: Ishaq Madan