At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti, Dutch artist, architect, and entrepreneur Hedwig Heinsman presents Tiny Penthouses, an experimental project proposing a new, circular approach to urban densification.
As cities struggle with housing shortages, climate change, and social fragmentation, Tiny Penthouses introduces an adaptable urban strategy: creating compact living spaces atop existing buildings. Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, Heinsman proposes “building on” — a concept that reimagines the city as a collaborative, regenerative ecosystem.
Referencing Le Corbusier’s modernist Plan Voisin, Heinsman radically inverts its premise. Instead of clearing the city to start anew, she suggests extending its life cycle by adding new layers of inhabitation — adaptable, lightweight, and fully circular.
At the core of the project is the notion of “radical reincarnation”: architectural components produced using 3D printing technology from recycled and recyclable materials. Once their function ends, these elements can be shredded and reprinted into new constructions, transforming architecture from a static object into a continuously evolving organism.
For designers and architects, this approach exemplifies how digital fabrication and circular design can merge to create sustainable, modular living systems — applicable not only to housing but also to interior, product, and exhibition design.
In Venice, Heinsman exhibits Tiny Penthouse 02, a proposal for student housing atop Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, alongside a full-scale 3D printed wall. The sculptural wall — affectionately nicknamed the “Tette Wall” (Titty Wall) for its round, tactile forms — demonstrates how additive manufacturing can produce organic, material-efficient geometries while minimising waste.
These luminous, semi-transparent models double as light sculptures, bridging the boundaries between art, design, and architecture. Their hybrid nature invites reflection on how buildings could become both functional and poetic artefacts in the circular city of the future.
Source & photos: Tiny Penthouses / Hedwig Heinsman