Estonia selects family design project for Venice Architecture Biennale

Estonia will be represented at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale by “Family Design,” a project by Andreas Krigoltoi, Xenia A. Sooniste, Jõnn Sooniste and Julia Freudenberg, ERR reports.

The winning project examines how residential architecture and the real estate market address the different family models of today and their changing needs. It focuses on the role a home plays in family life and in the formation of families.

According to Krigoltoi, the project began with research into different households and their housing needs. He said the designers were interested in how a home can shape a family after it has been designed, and in the role housing plays in the development of family life.

The authors argue that Estonia’s residential construction is largely based on optimal apartment sizes and relatively rigid ideas about families. In their view, this can encourage people to live in smaller households and reduce opportunities for support systems between family members. A larger home, for example, could allow a grandparent or another relative to move in when they need assistance.

Karen Jagodin, commissioner of Estonia’s exhibition and a member of the competition jury, said the project was chosen for its topical subject, as well as the authors’ professionalism and commitment. She said it asks whether the needs of different and changing family models are reflected in real estate development and what kinds of homes people actually need.

Ten proposals were submitted to the competition. The jury shortlisted five in the first round, after which the authors developed their ideas further and presented them at a public final round.

The winning project was selected by an expert jury comprising Jagodin, curator and critic Lev Bratishenko, architect Siiri Vallner, playwright and dramaturg of Estonia’s exhibition at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale Märten Rattasepp, Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art director Maria Arusoo, and Ministry of Culture architecture and design adviser Johanna Jõekalda.

The authors will now begin preparing Estonia’s exhibition, collecting materials and seeking partners. They aim to create an exhibition that goes beyond a theoretical treatment and encourages visitors to consider what future housing could look like and how people might live in it.

The 20th Venice Architecture Biennale will be curated by Chinese architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu. Its main theme is “Creating architecture: on the possibility of coexistence while facing reality.” The biennale will take place from May 8 to November 21, 2027.