You won't need a plane ticket to take part in the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale. Australians will be able to view our national submission for the esteemed exhibition on home shores, thanks to a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Architects, Museums of History NSW, and Creative Australia.

Titled Lived In, the exhibition explores Australia's history of urbanisation, and the varied modes of multi-dwelling architecture – i.e., units, apartments, and townhouses – that we live in.

There's no details of exactly when it will arrive in Australia, but we do know that Lived In will be on display at the Museum of Sydney in 2028. Before it makes its way back to New South Wales, however, the exhibition will first be on display at the 20th Venice Architecture Biennale, which will take place in Italy from 8 May to 21 November 2027.

Here's what you need to know.

What do we know about Lived In?

This year's exhibition was required to respond to the broader theme for the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale, set by curators Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu. Specifically, next year's theme is Do Architecture – For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality. 

They say the theme aims to "“return architecture to its most concrete, physical and essential dimension: that of building in direct relation to the land, to the materials, to the communities, and to the reality of places. [Shu and Wenyu's] philosophy reaffirms the value of ‘doing’ as a cultural, ethical and constructive act, shunning spectacle and global standardisation."

According to the Australian Institute of Architects, Lived In will do exactly that, thanks to the Housing Atlas of Australia project –  a national teaching-led program initiated by Adjunct Professor Kerstin Thompson and developed with Monash Urban Lab. It is a multi-year research project, produced by multiple universities, educators, practitioners and students, that documents residential housing across Australia from the past century.

The Institute’s 2025-2026 National President Adam Haddow said, “Australia is facing urgent questions about housing, density, affordability, climate and the future of our cities. Architecture has a critical role to play in these conversations, not only through design, but through the lessons embedded in the housing we already have”.

How to see Lived In in Australia

Watch this space – and the Museum of History New South Wales – for exact details on when Lived In will arrive in Australia in 2028.