Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2026 Announces Winners of Installation and Vision Competitions

Written by Reyyan Dogan
Published on May 12, 2026

The 8th edition of the Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2026 (TAB 2026) has announced the winners of its Installation Programme Competition and Vision Competition, both developed within the curatorial framework titled "How Much?". Organized by the Estonian Centre for Architecture, the biennale will take place from September 9 to November 30, 2026, with its Opening Week scheduled from September 9 to 13. Curated by Stuudio TÄNA, Mark Aleksander Fischer, and Mira Samonig, TAB 2026 explores the role of money, affordability, and resource allocation in shaping architecture and the built environment, while examining how contemporary practice negotiates economic constraints and cultural value.

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Established as an international platform for architecture and urban discourse, the Tallinn Architecture Biennale brings together architects, urban planners, researchers, and the public through exhibitions, competitions, installations, and symposia. The biennale's core programme consists of five main components: the Curatorial Exhibition, Symposium, Tallinn Vision Competition, Installation Programme, and Catalogue. Through these formats, TAB seeks to encourage dialogue between Estonian and international practitioners while fostering broader engagement with architectural culture and urban development.

The winner of the Installation Programme Competition, titled "Budget Bougie," was awarded to Resonance by Aru Ma-Architects, a practice founded by Cheng Hao Chung and Zhang Jie, together with team members Cui Jiakai and Matteo Minnicelli. The competition invited participants to reconsider ideas of luxury through the lens of limited resources by proposing a temporary outdoor pavilion for the public space in front of the Estonian Museum of Architecture in Tallinn's Rotermann district. More than 100 submissions from over 30 countries were reviewed by a jury including Elisabeth Terrisse de Botton, Karen Jagodin, Kertu Johanna Jõeste, Sille Pihlak, and Elina Liiva.

Stuudio TÄNA and Mark Aleksander Fischer to Curate the 2026 Tallinn Architecture Biennale on Affordability in Architecture

Second prize in the Installation Programme Competition was awarded to A Song of the Last Wooden House by Laula Laudis, consisting of Nikita Klimenko (Mikita Klimenka) and Sofia Markson. Third prize went to KaKaru by Eero Kustaa Haapanen. Two honourable mentions were also recognized: Rebirth of Bougie by Valerii Krinberg, Kaari Maria Tirmaste, Martin Sepp, and Joosep Pärn, as well as Prospettica by Pavlo Kryvozub. These projects will be presented within the broader curatorial framework and catalogue of TAB 2026.

Alongside the installation programme, TAB 2026 also announced the results of the Vision Competition, "From Void to Value," which focused on reimagining urban voids within Tallinn's UNESCO-listed Old Town, particularly around Harju Street. The competition called for proposals balancing heritage preservation with contemporary urban needs, addressing how underused spaces within historic contexts might be reactivated through new spatial and civic strategies. A total of 31 proposals were evaluated by an international jury composed of Triin Talk, Keiti Lige, Klaske Havik, Siiri Vallner, and TAB 2026 curator Siim Tanel Tõnisson.

First prize in the Vision Competition was awarded to A Place Reclaimed by Patrick Liik, Mikael Ristmetz, Kaari Maria Tirmaste, Martin Sepp, and Valerii Krinberg, a team of young architects and urban designers based in Estonia and the Netherlands. Second prize was awarded to Reap What You Sow by Fred-Eric Pavel and Karmo Vihepuu, while third prize went to Urban Home by Michal Romaniuk. Five honourable mentions were also selected: Stitching the Seams by Lisa Kaufmann; The Living Void by Salvatore Settecasi; Grafting Domesticity by Endéma, together with Aron De Cesero, Marta Magnaguagno, Pierluigi Recca, Leonardo Tagliente, Mattia Zanardo, Emma Dal Dosso, and Giulia Morellato; PARK4ALL by Arnd Dewald; and ATLEAST101€ by Meiling Chen, Zhiyuan Jiang, and Yu Chen.

Installation Programme Competition Winner

Resonance by Aru Ma-Architects

Selected as the winning proposal of the Installation Programme Competition, Resonance reinterprets luxury as a spatial and atmospheric condition shaped through restraint, material economy, and structural precision. Conceived as a quiet retreat within Tallinn's traffic-heavy Rotermann district, the temporary pavilion combines rebar, rope, limestone, and plywood to create an immersive environment defined by light, sound, wind, and gravity. Through its tensile structure anchored by a central stone core, the project transforms ordinary construction materials into a carefully choreographed spatial experience, aligning closely with TAB 2026's broader investigation into affordability and resource-conscious architecture. The installation is scheduled to be realized in August 2026 and inaugurated during the biennale's Opening Week.

Vision Competition Winner

A Place Reclaimed by Patrick Liik, Mikael Ristmetz, Kaari Maria Tirmaste, Martin Sepp, and Valerii Krinberg

Awarded first prize in the Vision Competition, A Place Reclaimed proposes an incremental transformation strategy for Harju Street within Tallinn's UNESCO-listed Old Town. The project introduces a layered "city within the city" approach that develops through existing passages, courtyards, and urban structures while reconnecting the Lower Town and Toompea through new civic and spatial links. Rather than treating heritage as a fixed historical condition, the proposal frames it as an active and evolving urban layer capable of accommodating contemporary public life. The jury emphasized the clarity of the project's spatial strategy and identified it as one of the competition's most ambitious and discussion-provoking visions despite reservations regarding some of its kiosk-like and screen-based elements.