Estonia 2025
The exhibition challenges the notion of insulation-driven renovations as mere compliance with energy policies, questioning whether these upgrades can serve as catalysts for enhancing the spatial and social quality of mass housing.
Title: Let me warm you
Commissioner: Johanna Jõekalda
Curators/Exhibitors: Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, Helena Männa, Märten Rattasepp, Kirill Havanski, Aadam Kaarma, Joosep Kivimäe
As Europe races toward its transition to climate neutrality by 2050, Estonia has an ambitious goal, pledging to upgrade all the apartment buildings pre-2000. This sweeping renovation effort is part of a larger European movement to modernise aging housing stock in response to the climate crisis. However, insulation should not be treated as a mere quick fix, a ‘bandage’ but rather a meaningful upgrade in quality of life.
The Pavilion will temporarily cover the façade of a Venetian palazzetto with insulation panels—mirroring Estonia’s approach to modernising Soviet-era apartment blocks. This striking intervention highlights the contrast between technical efficiency and architectural sensitivity, sparking debate on the balance between climate policies and residents’ everyday needs.
Inside, the exhibition space—symbolically wrapped in plastic film—explores how financial constraints, collective decision-making, and energy goals shape renovation strategies. Through theatrical models, exaggerated spatial outcomes, and real-life narratives, the exhibition reveals the human dynamics behind mass housing transformations.
Blending architecture, policy, and social discourse, the Estonian Pavilion invites visitors to reconsider the role of renovation—not just as an environmental necessity, but as an opportunity to rethink how we inhabit and shape our built environment.
VENUE: Riva dei Sette Martiti 1611
OPENING TIMES:
May 10 – Sep 28, Tue – Sun 11am – 7pm; Sep 29 – Nov 23 Tue – Sun 10am – 6pm
ADDRESS
Riva dei Sette Martiri 1611, 30122 Castello, Venice, Italy
