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Visions of the Kahn Centre from leading universities now reach Tallinn
On Monday, 12 January at 16:00, the exhibition “ALGUSED – BEGINNINGS” will open at the Design and Architecture Gallery (Pärnu mnt 6) in the centre of Tallinn, presenting visions for the future Louis Kahn Centre.
With this exhibition, the Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation celebrates several years of collaboration with its international partners: AHO (The Oslo School of Architecture and Design), the ETH Zürich Department of Architecture, and TalTech. The exhibition is part of the events marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Louis I. Kahn. The curator of the exhibition is Marc Fischer (Switzerland), and it was displayed in the autumn of 2025 at Kuressaare Castle (see gallery: https://louiskahn.org/).
The exhibition will remain open until 31 January 2026.
At the international seminar on the visions for the Kahn Centre, held on 12 September last year at Kuressaare Town Hall, a substantial book translated into Estonian — “Louis I. Kahn: Nordic Latitudes” — was also presented. Its authors are Norwegian architect Per Olaf Fjeld, who participated in Louis Kahn’s final masterclass in 1972 and later served as long‑time rector of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), and his wife Emily Randall Fjeld.
For the first time, Estonian readers have access to such an in‑depth work revealing Louis Kahn’s teaching methods, worldview, and the background of Nordic late‑modern architectural history. The book was edited by Mart Meri, who will be present at the exhibition opening, where the publication will also be available for purchase.
More about the book (estonian version): https://louiskahn.org/publikatsioonid/pohjamaised-laotused Images may be used with attribution.
According to Urmo Raus, Vice‑Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation, a significant turning point occurred in early 2024 when ETH Zürich lecturer and architect Roger Boltshauser was invited to include the Kahn Centre project assignment in the curriculum of ETH Zürich, one of the world’s leading universities. The goal is to create in Saaremaa a permanent exhibition of international calibre dedicated to the legacy of Louis I. Kahn. According to the vision, the building would be comparable in scale to the Arvo Pärt Centre and would function both as a museum introducing Kahn’s heritage and as a collaborative and meeting place for Kahn enthusiasts worldwide, while also serving local residents and visitors to Saaremaa.
Louis I. Kahn (1901 Kuressaare – 1974 New York) is unquestionably one of the most influential figures in shaping modern culture worldwide, and he was born in Saaremaa. His works and teachings are known across the globe. In 2012, based on Kahn’s design, a park dedicated to the Four Freedoms was completed on Roosevelt Island, just off Manhattan. Kahn’s significance today lies above all in how he conceptualised and taught architecture.
Establishing the Kahn Centre in Kuressaare offers an opportunity to place Estonia on the world map through something positive and substantial. Kahn himself associated his work with the Kuressaare Episcopal Castle and the churches of Pöide, Kaarma, and Valjala.
The project was carried out by the Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation. We thank our partners and supporters: ETH Zürich, AHO, TalTech, the Ministry of Culture, the Estonian Cultural Endowment, the Estonian Association of Architects, Intera, Glamox, Reval Stone (Limestone Factories of Estonia), Javicar, Nordic Hotel Forum, Momentin, Premia, Selver, Digiposter, Radio, Mari‑Liis Vunder, Asko Künnap, Siiri Timmermann (Akt 7), Siiri Sünd. Our special thanks go to Kai‑Riin and Mart Meri.
The university cooperation project was made possible thanks to funding from the Kingdom of Norway within the project “Estonian – Norwegian Cooperation Towards a Sustainable Architectural Education and Diverse Creative Output”, coordinated by the State Shared Service Centre and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Estonia.
Media contact and additional information:
Katri Gailit
+372 51 383 41
Member of the Supervisory Board
With this exhibition, the Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation celebrates several years of collaboration with its international partners: AHO (The Oslo School of Architecture and Design), the ETH Zürich Department of Architecture, and TalTech. The exhibition is part of the events marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Louis I. Kahn. The curator of the exhibition is Marc Fischer (Switzerland), and it was displayed in the autumn of 2025 at Kuressaare Castle (see gallery: https://louiskahn.org/).
The exhibition will remain open until 31 January 2026.
At the international seminar on the visions for the Kahn Centre, held on 12 September last year at Kuressaare Town Hall, a substantial book translated into Estonian — “Louis I. Kahn: Nordic Latitudes” — was also presented. Its authors are Norwegian architect Per Olaf Fjeld, who participated in Louis Kahn’s final masterclass in 1972 and later served as long‑time rector of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), and his wife Emily Randall Fjeld.
For the first time, Estonian readers have access to such an in‑depth work revealing Louis Kahn’s teaching methods, worldview, and the background of Nordic late‑modern architectural history. The book was edited by Mart Meri, who will be present at the exhibition opening, where the publication will also be available for purchase.
More about the book (estonian version): https://louiskahn.org/publikatsioonid/pohjamaised-laotused Images may be used with attribution.
According to Urmo Raus, Vice‑Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation, a significant turning point occurred in early 2024 when ETH Zürich lecturer and architect Roger Boltshauser was invited to include the Kahn Centre project assignment in the curriculum of ETH Zürich, one of the world’s leading universities. The goal is to create in Saaremaa a permanent exhibition of international calibre dedicated to the legacy of Louis I. Kahn. According to the vision, the building would be comparable in scale to the Arvo Pärt Centre and would function both as a museum introducing Kahn’s heritage and as a collaborative and meeting place for Kahn enthusiasts worldwide, while also serving local residents and visitors to Saaremaa.
Louis I. Kahn (1901 Kuressaare – 1974 New York) is unquestionably one of the most influential figures in shaping modern culture worldwide, and he was born in Saaremaa. His works and teachings are known across the globe. In 2012, based on Kahn’s design, a park dedicated to the Four Freedoms was completed on Roosevelt Island, just off Manhattan. Kahn’s significance today lies above all in how he conceptualised and taught architecture.
Establishing the Kahn Centre in Kuressaare offers an opportunity to place Estonia on the world map through something positive and substantial. Kahn himself associated his work with the Kuressaare Episcopal Castle and the churches of Pöide, Kaarma, and Valjala.
The project was carried out by the Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation. We thank our partners and supporters: ETH Zürich, AHO, TalTech, the Ministry of Culture, the Estonian Cultural Endowment, the Estonian Association of Architects, Intera, Glamox, Reval Stone (Limestone Factories of Estonia), Javicar, Nordic Hotel Forum, Momentin, Premia, Selver, Digiposter, Radio, Mari‑Liis Vunder, Asko Künnap, Siiri Timmermann (Akt 7), Siiri Sünd. Our special thanks go to Kai‑Riin and Mart Meri.
The university cooperation project was made possible thanks to funding from the Kingdom of Norway within the project “Estonian – Norwegian Cooperation Towards a Sustainable Architectural Education and Diverse Creative Output”, coordinated by the State Shared Service Centre and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Estonia.
Media contact and additional information:
Katri Gailit
+372 51 383 41
Member of the Supervisory Board
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