Sille Pihlak at NBAA meeting in AHO, Oslo. April 25, 2025
Oslo, April 25, 2025 – Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) Dean Sille Pihlak presented the academy’s latest initiatives – the NEb.Academy alliance and EKA’s upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale project – at the Nordic-Baltic Academy of Architecture (NBAA) meeting held in Oslo from April 24–26, 2025. Sille Pihlak used the opportunity to invite fellow Nordic and Baltic architecture schools to join EKA in these collaborative efforts, aligning with the meeting’s focus on architecture’s evolving role in society.
EKA’s NEb.Academy and Venice Biennale Plans
During the two-day NBAA gathering at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Sille Pihlak (who became the Dean of EKA’s Faculty of Architecture in 2023) highlighted EKA’s forward-looking projects. She introduced the NEb.Academy initiative – a New European Bauhaus academic alliance uniting architecture and design schools across Europe. This initiative aims to pool regional expertise and drive sustainable innovation in architectural education artun.ee. Pihlak also discussed EKA’s upcoming representation at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, where the academy will help showcase Estonia’s architectural vision on the world stage. By sharing these developments, Pihlak extended an open invitation to NBAA members and their institutions to collaborate: encouraging them to join the NEb.Academy network and to engage with EKA’s Biennale project. This call for partnership underlines EKA’s belief that tackling contemporary architectural challenges is a collective endeavor.
“Emerging Roles” – NBAA Meeting Highlights
The NBAA meeting in Oslo convened heads of schools, program directors, and study coordinators from architecture faculties across the Nordic-Baltic region nbaainfo.org. Hosted by AHO Rector Irene Lønne, the forum’s theme, “Emerging Roles – From Addition & Intervention to Transformation & Regeneration,” set the tone for rich discussion. As the official program described, “Architecture as a profession is changing and taking on a new position in society – previous roles are disappearing, and entirely new ones are emerging”. Participants reflected on how architectural education and research can navigate these shifts. Each member school, including EKA, gave a brief presentation on their current priorities and research in the context of the theme sparking dialogue on shared opportunities and challenges.
A series of talks and workshops further explored the expanding scope of architecture. The meeting’s focus areas ranged from traditional to cutting-edge topics, including:
Materials – developing new material knowledge and sustainable building techniques
Cultural Heritage – adaptive reuse and preservation of historical environments
Landscape – integrating landscape and environmental considerations into design
AI & Technology – the impact of artificial intelligence and digital tools on architectural practice
Interdisciplinary Practice – fostering broader competencies and collaboration across fields
Faculty and researchers from AHO set the stage with perspectives on topics like technology, materials transformation, “more-than-human” design, and geopolitics, illustrating the breadth of new roles architects are taking on. These sessions, coupled with group discussions, allowed the academic leaders to compare notes on how their institutions are adapting curricula and research agendas to the changing professional landscape.
Fostering Collaboration in Architectural Education
Beyond the formal talks, the Oslo meeting included networking events, a tour of AHO’s campus, city excursions, and informal exchanges that strengthened ties among the Nordic-Baltic architecture schools. The gathering underscored the importance of collaboration in architectural education and research. By inviting NBAA peers into EKA’s NEb.Academy alliance and upcoming Biennale venture, Sille Pihlak emphasized a collaborative path forward. She noted that addressing issues such as climate-responsive design, technological disruption, and urban regeneration requires pooling knowledge and creative resources across institutions and borders.
EKA’s active participation in the NBAA meeting – sharing initiatives and aligning with the “Emerging Roles” agenda – reflects the academy’s leadership in reimagining architectural education. Connecting with Nordic-Baltic partners, EKA is helping to shape a regional response to global challenges: from rethinking the architect’s role in a rapidly changing society to championing innovative projects like NEb.Academy and the Venice Biennale exhibition. The Oslo forum proved to be a productive platform for EKA to showcase its vision and to invite others to jointly transform and regenerate the future of architecture
The Nordplus grants of the network are coordinated by EKA’s International Office.
