TAB 2026 Curator Tour at Linnahall (in Estonian)

A tour of the TAB 2026 curatorial exhibition “How Much Does It Cost?” at the Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2026. The tour focuses on the relationship between constraints, cost and spatial creation—issues often pushed to the margins of architectural discourse. The exhibition explores the paradox of cheapness in architecture: although low cost should not be an end in itself, it nevertheless has a decisive influence on the design and construction process. Market logic pressures architecture to follow the principle of “more with less”, with buildings designed around cost lines while the real social and ecological costs of creating space are left in the background.

The exhibition venue, Tallinna Linnahall, serves both as a conceptual backdrop and as a physical manifestation of the biennale’s central question. Long left unused, the building embodies a paradox: both reconstruction and demolition are considered too expensive, while postponing a decision continually increases restoration costs.

The exhibition brings together architects from twelve countries, offering different answers to the question “How Much Does It Cost?” and showing how high-quality, sustainable architecture can be created under constraints. Participants include studio TAKK (Spain / New York), asphalt / Kollektiv für Architektur (Austria), baubüro in situ (Switzerland), Secretary (Sweden), Márton Pintér (Hungary), HouseEurope!, Mantas Peteraitis Architecture Studio (Lithuania), Bimberg&Frenz (Germany / Belgium), and Avarrus Arkkitehdit (Finland), whose project Helsingin Muurarimestari is a recent nominee for Arkkitehtuurin Finlandia 2026, as well as other international and Estonian architectural practices.

One part of the exhibition is a joint presentation by Estonian architecture firms. It showcases smart building solutions where limited budgets, materials or other constraints have not prevented the creation of good architecture.

The tours are led in person by the TAB 2026 curators and are held in Estonian and English. The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes.