estonian pavilion wraps historic palazzetto in insulation for venice architecture biennale 2025

estonian pavilion presents ‘let me warm you’ at venice biennale

At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Estonia makes a bold statement by literally wrapping a Venetian palazzetto in insulation panels. Titled Let Me Warm You, the pavilion curated by architects Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, and Helena Männa addresses the urgent question: are energy-efficient renovations across Europe’s mass housing districts simply bureaucratic measures, or can they become meaningful tools for spatial and social transformation? Presented by the Ministry of Culture of Estonia, the installation and exhibition run until November 23, 2025, taking over a waterfront building just steps from the Biennale’s main grounds.

all images ©Joosep Kivimäe

wrapping reality in insulation as both material and metaphor

On the outside of the building housing the Estonian Pavilion exhibition, a sober, fiber-cement facade, typical of Estonian Soviet-era renovations, sits in stark contrast to Venice’s ornate architecture. This gesture replays the reality in Estonia, where mass housing upgrades often proceed with minimal architectural input, focusing purely on technical fixes. But here, in the heart of a city synonymous with beauty and history, the juxtaposition hits harder, aiming to propose a better way forward, one that doesn’t leave architecture out of renovation conversations.

Inside the Venetian palazzetto, the narrative deepens. A ground-floor apartment is wrapped in clear plastic film, turning the exhibition space into a living metaphor for the suffocating nature of shallow upgrades. The installation uses theatrical models, overheard dialogues, and real-life anecdotes to explore how collective ownership, financial limitations, and human relationships shape the renovation process. In Estonia, where most apartments are privately owned and decisions are made communally, insulation becomes a stage where power, trust, and aesthetics collide.

at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, Estonia wraps a Venetian palazzetto in insulation panels

architecture without architects in the age of climate urgency

The pavilion cleverly responds to Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 curator Carlo Ratti’s call to confront architecture’s role in the climate crisis under the theme Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. In that context, Estonia’s message is refreshingly sharp: what happens when residents, not architects, steer the renovation process? The result, as the curators suggest, is a clash between bold climate goals and lived realities. Let Me Warm You invites Europe to imagine a future where environmental policy and everyday life coexist. The exhibition is accompanied by a six-scene catalogue that blends satire and sociology, portraying the tragicomic dynamics of life in a Soviet-era housing block.

titled Let Me Warm You, the pavilion is curated by architects Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, and Helena Männa

a sober, fiber-cement facade, typical of Estonian Soviet-era renovations, sits in contrast to Venice’s architecture

the waterfront building is just steps from the Biennale’s main grounds

proposing a way that doesn’t leave architecture out of renovation conversations

inside the Venetian palazzetto, the narrative deepens

a ground-floor apartment is wrapped in clear plastic film

the exhibition space becomes a living metaphor for the suffocating nature of shallow upgrades

exploring how collective ownership, financial limitations, and human relationships shape the renovation process

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In Estonia most apartments are privately owned and decisions are made communally

insulation becomes a stage where power, trust, and aesthetics collide

the pavilion asks if energy-efficient renovations across Europe’s mass housing districts can become tools for transformation

presented by the Ministry of Culture of Estonia

the installation and exhibition run until November 23, 2025

the pavilion cleverly responds to Carlo Ratti’s call to confront architecture’s role in the climate crisis

Estonia's message is refreshingly sharp: what happens when residents, not architects, steer the renovation process?

the result is a clash between bold climate goals and lived realities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

exhibition model: 3 scenes from the tragicomedy of an apartment building | image courtesy of the Estonian Pavilion

exhibition model: Behind the facade | image courtesy of the Estonian Pavilion

floor plan exhibition | image courtesy of the Estonian Pavilion

elevation | image courtesy of the Estonian Pavilion

location map | image courtesy of the Estonian Pavilion

project info:

name: Pavilion of Estonia at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
theme: Let Me Warm You | @estonianpavilion
curators/exhibitors: Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, Helena Männa

commissioner: Johanna Jõekalda

location: Castello 1611, Riva dei Sette Martiri, Venice, Italy

dates: May 10 – November 23, 2025

organiser: Ministry of Culture of Estonia

co-organiser: Estonian Museum of Architecture | @arhitektuurimuuseum

creative team: Märten Rattasepp, Kirill Havanski, Aadam Kaarma, Joosep Kivimäe

production: Mari-Liis Vunder

collaborators: Neeme Külm (Valge Kuup Studio), Margus Tammik, Robert Männa, Markus Puidak, Randel Pomber

Supporters: Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, KMT Prefab OÜ, Swisspearl Group AS, PK-Salong, Luminor Bank AS, Brightlux Group OÜ, RAITWOOD, AS Craft drinks company MULL°, Rothoblaas, AT Prateko OÜ, Inmarx Partners OÜ, Estonian Academy of Arts/ Erasmus+, LIFE IP BuildEST, ESSVE Estonia AS, Sokisahtel OÜ.