Hot off the heals of designing this summer's well-received Serpentine Pavilion, the firm SANAA has continued their efforts to conquer Europe, checking off individual nations as they go. One of the two founders of the company, Kazuyo Sejima, has been named as next year's director of the Venice Biennale's 12th Annual International Architecture Exhibition. Sejima is not only the first woman selected to lead the famous annual event, she's also the first in almost a decade to be running a shop simultaneously:

In picking Sejima, the Biennale has chosen a practicing architect for the first time since Massimiliano Fuksas in 2000. The Biennale has also announced that the exhibition will open on August 29 (with previews starting on August 26) and run through November 21. Traditionally, the Biennale opening date has been mid September; an earlier date should allow many more people to attend the event.