THE MEANING OF PLACE:
What makes a place feel like home? How can architecture create happiness, belonging and well-being?
On 18 September 2026, architects, researchers, heritage experts and architecture enthusiasts from across Europe will gather in Kuressaare, Saaremaa, Estonia, the birthplace of Louis I. Kahn, for the international seminar “Places That Create Happiness: Louis I. Kahn and the Meaning of Place.”
Among the speakers are internationally recognized experts and architects from Estonia, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Italy and the United States, including Marco Falsetti, Alessandro Vassella, Kathrine Næss, Per Olaf Fjeld, Gregory Kahn Melitonov Tommi Lindh, CEO of the Alvar Aalto Foundation, Sirkkaliisa Jetsonen, and Marju Kõivupuu.
Associate Professor Kathrine Næss of AHO's Institute of Architecture will give a talk on “Productive Housing: Rethinking Productivity in a Nordic-Baltic Context”, while Professor Emeritus Per Olaf Fjeld will participate in a panel discussion entitled “Louis Kahn and the Meaning of Place: The Meaning of Home.”
The seminar offers an excellent opportunity to combine architecture, culture and a long weekend on Saaremaa, one of the most beautiful islands in the Baltic Sea.
Seminar programme:
Side Events Associated with the Seminar:
- Visions of the Kahn Center by ETH Zurich master's students and "productive houses" by AHO Oslo students (exhibition at Kuressaare Episcopal Castle)
- The Houses of Louis I. Kahn and Alvar Aalto. Places that Create Happiness (exhibition at Kuressaare Town Hall Gallery from 07.09. to 10.10.2026)
- Louis Kahn and Alvar Aalto Film Days.