EKA monumental studio

The starting point for the interior design of the Estonian Academy of Arts studio building was deliberately modest. We wanted to create a space that does not compete with creativity, but rather gives it the freedom to emerge — like a neutral canvas for young artists. Therefore, we left as much of the structural concrete exposed as possible and complemented it with natural wood, while orange and yellow details add pop of color here and there.

The most remarkable feature of this building is the large, two-story monumental studio, which also opens to the outside and allows for the creation of extremely large artworks. The entire building is filled with various studios, and on the top floor there are also a few cozy classrooms. In this building, there were no strict constraints, rather, we followed the logic of “less is more.” All the color and life come from the students and their work.

The work process did not proceed entirely smoothly. During construction, there were several mishaps and missteps that made the journey somewhat challenging. All the greater, then, is the joy that the building is now complete, in use, and fulfilling its purpose. Collaboration with the client went very well, and what made this project especially close to our hearts was that the client was the very university that had given us our own education.

ClientEstonian Academy of ArtsYear2024AddressTallinn, EstoniaArea614 m²ArchitectNovarc GroupInterior architectsKersti Pilar, Kariina Kaufmann, Roosi KevaPhotographerTõnu Tunnel