In this video, Bas Smets speaks with Roya Sachs on the future of landscape architecture in a rapidly warming world. Smets discussed his multidisciplinary background and his commitment to treating every project as a new invention rather than a repetition, outlining his concept of “augmented landscapes” — designs that harness natural processes to create microclimates capable of cooling cities and restoring ecological resilience. Using major recent projects such as Luma Arles and the redesign of the public space around Notre-Dame Cathedral, he illustrated how scientific research, plant intelligence and climatic modelling shape his practice. The conversation also touched on his Venice Architecture Biennale project, created with neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, which transforms a pavilion into a self-regulating microclimatic biosphere. Throughout the talk, Smets emphasised imagination, scientific collaboration and long-term ecological thinking as essential tools for designing landscapes — and cities — that can survive and adapt to the century ahead.
"Each project needs to be an invention. Each project needs to teach me something I didn’t know before starting."
— Bas Smets
