The installation and exhibition representing Estonia at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is curated by architects Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, and Helena Männa. Titled Let Me Warm You, the national exhibition explores different dimensions of sustainability by questioning whether insulation-driven renovations in Estonia are simply compliance measures to meet European energy targets or whether they can also serve as opportunities to enhance the spatial and social quality of mass housing districts. To make this point, the Estonian installation covers the façade of a Venetian building with insulation panels, replicating how they are commonly installed in Estonia for mass housing renovations.
The exhibition emerges in the context of Estonia's large-scale renovation effort, part of a broader European initiative to modernize aging housing stock in response to the climate crisis. Estonia's national goal is to upgrade all apartment buildings constructed before 2000 to achieve at least energy efficiency class C. The curators argue that insulation should not be treated as a "bandage" or "quick fix", but rather as a meaningful upgrade that addresses the various components defining quality of life. They highlight the high costs and far-reaching impact of this national initiative while offering a reflective approach that takes into account the everyday needs of mass housing inhabitants.
The Estonian national representation at the Biennale consists of two parts: a physical installation and an indoor exhibition, both housed in the same building. The installation takes place in a palazzetto located at Riva dei Sette Martiri 1611, on the waterfront between Corso Garibaldi and the Giardini, within the Castello district. It replicates the country's typical insulation approach, using the same materials and design elements, mounted directly onto the existing building's façade. As presented in the exhibition references, Estonian Soviet-era apartment block renovations often proceed with little to no architectural input. By staging this intervention on a richly ornate Venetian building, the curators create a visual and conceptual contrast that sharpens the impact of their message.
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Inside, a ground-floor room is wrapped in plastic film to host an exhibition illustrating how social dynamics among various stakeholders influence spatial solutions. The plastic film enveloping the space, the interior of a typical apartment building, symbolizes the relentless drive toward renovation while revealing how technical fixes can often obscure the deeper relationships people have with their homes. At the center of the room, a model of a Soviet-era housing block features theatrical dialogues and exaggerated spatial outcomes, encouraging visitors to reflect on the tension between top-down energy policies and the lived realities of those affected by them.
According to the curators, Let Me Warm You "exposes the clash between bold global ambitions and the everyday realities of people navigating collective decisions," shedding light on the motivations and social challenges behind insulation projects. The exhibition catalogue adopts a comic tone based on real-life stories, exploring themes such as fear of change and neighborhood revitalization. Estonia's tripartite proposal responds to Carlo Ratti's curatorial theme by raising the question of "what happens to architecture when the architect is excluded from the process." As Johanna Jõekalda, advisor on architecture and design at the Estonian Ministry of Culture, notes: "Renovation processes that are planned by residents themselves, according to their best knowledge, provide a good example of how collective intelligence, or the lack of it, affects our spatial environment."
The 2025 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale runs until November 23. Other national pavilions exploring the complexities of socio-environmental challenges include Brazil's exhibition (RE)INVENTION, which reflects on the recent archaeological discovery of ancestral infrastructure in the Amazon; Lithuania's Archi/Tree/Tecture, which invites reflection on the deep connections between architecture and urban nature through the lens of collective memory; and Uruguay's 53.86% Uruguay, Land of Water, which examines the intrinsic relationship between architecture, territory, and water.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 23, 2025, and updated on June 9, 2025, to include photographs of the exhibit.
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