The Estonian Academy of Arts will organize its 2026 workshop “Abandoned Landscapes” in Tallinn from 19 to 22 January, with the City Hall as the focus.
The aim of the workshop, which is already being held for the 14th time, is to practice international cooperation between students of architecture, heritage conservation and interior architecture, and to understand the needs and opportunities for preserving and using local heritage. This year, the workshop will be held in collaboration with lecturers and students of the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA).
65 students and 7 staff from the EKA and Manchester School of Architecture will come together for four days in Tallinn to co-investigate whether itinerant architectural methods can help bring back into public life a building with narcolepsy – Linnahall.
Monday’s tour will explore Tallinn’s coastline architectural heritage from Pirita to Noblessner. On other days, the City Hall is explored and interpreted through group work.
Several events open to the public will also take place as part of the workshop. All interested parties are welcome to attend for free.
On Tuesday, January 20 at 5 pm, Dan Dubowitz will give a public lecture in the EKA auditorium: Cultural Masterplanning.
Dan Dubowitz, Visiting Professor from Manchester School of Architecture, will introduce his celebrated work on Cultural Masterplanning, which has been developing new methods for engaging people earlier and better in the transformation of their city across the UK. He will introduce his current research project, Megalomania, which includes sites in Estonia (Naissaare and Hiiumaa), the Helsinki Archipelago, Latvia (Karosta) and Lithuania (Visiginas).
On Wednesday, January 21st at 5 pm, Ingel Vaikla’s documentary “The Housekeeper” (2015) will be screened in the EKA auditorium.
On Thursday, January 22nd at 5 pm, student groups will present their short films about Linnahall made during the week.
The workshop will continue throughout the semester with further development of projects within the framework of the study and will end with presentations in May at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Supervisors: Daniel Dubovitz, Lindsay Bush, Vilius Petraitis, Kaija-Luisa Kurik, Mike Burnell from Manchester School of Architecture.
Koit Ojaliiv, Eik Hermann from the Department of Architecture and Urban Design and Riin Alatalu and Triin Reidla from the Department of Heritage Protection and Conservation of EKA.
Previously, the Abandoned Landscapes workshop has taken place at the Joaveski Paper Factory, the Narva Kreenholmi factory, the Kohila Papermill, the Peri collective farm centre, the Suurpea village, the Kodijärve manor; the Koeru retirement home; the Tapa railway station; the Kopli lines; the Kiviõli factory, the Sindi manufactory, the St. Catherine’s Church of the Tallinn Dominican Monastery and the Paluküla Church in Hiiumaa. By searching for a perspective on the use of abandoned buildings and real architectural solutions, the workshop allows universities to contribute to creating a meaningful heritage discussion on problematic objects, thereby contributing to their preservation through high-quality development.