Places that create happiness

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Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation

In September 2026, Louis Kahn and Alvar Aalto meet in Kuressaare, Estonia. The Places that create happiness programme includes an exhibition, film days, and an international seminar.

Both Louis Kahn and Alvar Aalto have strong ties to Estonia. Kahn was born on the island of Saaremaa, while Aalto designed his first private residence outside Finland in Tähtvere, Tartu.

Internationally renowned architectural thinkers will gather in Kuressaare to explore how architecture and home can foster a sense of belonging, security, and happiness.

The international programme, dedicated to the 125th anniversary of Louis I. Kahn’s birth, includes:

Exhibition: The Houses of Louis Kahn and Alvar Aalto. Places that Create Happiness, 7 September–17 October 2026.
The exhibition will be held at Kuressaare, Raegalerii. The exhibition features photographic essays by internationally acclaimed photographers Don Freeman and Richard Powers, documenting Louis I. Kahn’s Fisher House and Alvar Aalto’s Villa Mairea. The essays highlight similarities and differences in the architects’ approaches to space, natural light, and materials, creating a dialogue between their work.
Kahn and Aalto Film Days in Kuressaare present Louis Kahn’s Tiger City, Louis Kahn: Silence and Light and, Aalto documentary, 14–24 September 2026.
The documentary Aalto will be screened on 17 September at 18:00, followed by a discussion with Tommi Lindh, a Finnish architect and CEO of the Alvar Aalto Foundation. Other screenings will take place on 20 September and 26 September at 13:00. This captivating film explores the lives and work of Alvar and Aino Aalto, highlighting their loving partnership and shared human-centred vision, from furniture design to major architectural projects.
The international architecture seminar Places That Create Happiness. Louis I. Kahn and the Meaning of Place in Kuressaare, 18 September 2026.
The seminar will be moderated by well-known Estonian journalist Neeme Raud and will feature several keynote speakers, including Marco Falsetti, an Italian architect and lecturer; Alessandro Vassella, a Swiss architect and a leading expert on Louis Kahn’s work; and Sirkkaliisa Jetsonen, a Finnish architect and author of architectural books, among many others.