AquaPraça Floating Plaza

AquaPraça, the floating cultural plaza designed by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and Höweler + Yoon, becomes one of the landmarks of the UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

AquaPraça was made possible through a unique international coalition, including the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation, CIHEAM Bari, and the World Bank Group's Connect4Climate program, and with the support of BF International – Member of BF S.p.A. Group (as AquaPraça COP30 Naming Partner), Bloomberg Philanthropies, Costa Crociere, ENEL, and Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

The structure employs Archimedes' principle to adapt to its environment, in a region where the Amazon Delta experiences tidal shifts of up to four meters, daily revealing the bay's underwater landscape.

In Belém, AquaPraça incorporates an additional roof structure and serves as a civic catalyst, hosting symposia, cultural programs, and discussions on climate policy.

Located at the meeting point of the Amazon River system and the Atlantic Ocean, where freshwater and saltwater merge to create a powerful estuarine ecosystem, the Guajará Bay serves as the setting for the unveiling of AquaPraça in its completed form, following its initial partial presentation in Venice.

A floating Italian square that evokes Venice, where it was presented in recent months. It will remain here in the Amazon as a space available to citizens and as a symbol of the deep friendship between our countries and the values of international cooperation in which Italy believes."

In doing so, we extend Rossi's dialogue with the city toward a dialogue with the planet," says Carlo Ratti, professor at MIT and the Politecnico di Milano, co-founder of CRA, and curator of the Biennale Architettura 2025.

|| "The concept of a floating forum is truly innovative and aligns perfectly with our vision for COP30," says Andre Corrêa do Lago, President of COP30. "Bringing this structure to Brazil would create a striking and symbolic presence at the conference, highlighting our commitment to sustainability.

"AquaPraça lets visitors meet the sea at eye level," says Eric Höweler, co-founder of Höweler + Yoon and a Professor at Harvard University.

"Its sloping surfaces and shifting levels embody a delicate equilibrium." "It's a platform, both literal and figurative, for deepening our collective understanding and experience of sea level rise and the impacts of climate change on global cities and communities," adds J. Meejin Yoon, co-founder of Höweler + Yoon and the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean at Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, "and seeking collective solutions."

This floating cultural platform not only highlights Italian engineering excellence and the ability to tackle complex challenges, but also combines technology and sustainability to provide concrete solutions for communities affected by climate change. For Cimolai, it is a unique opportunity to strengthen Italy's role both in scientific progress and in the global dialogue on architecture and climate."