This year, Paul Andersen and Paul Preissner have collaborated on the curation of the exhibition American Framing, which explores the use of softwood construction in American architecture from the 19^th century to the present day. The Palladian-style pavilion has been enveloped by an immersive four-story pine frame that viewers are invited to interact with, while inside the galleries, photographs and small-scale models address the labor, culture, and materials of softwood construction.

The 17^th Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia asks the question, “How will we live together?” which comes at a time when national cultural practices are struggling with their histories. American Framing examines the improbably overlooked and familiar architecture of the country’s most common construction system and argues that a profound and powerful future for design can be conceived out of an ordinary past.

Paul Preissner is an associate professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and runs his own architecture office Paul Preissner Architects. He will be discussing his curatorial process, the exhibition as part of this year’s Biennale, and the future of American architecture.