Entry for the competition for the 2026 Tallinn Architecture Biennale pavilion. This year's pavilion theme was "Budget Bougie," a playful take on the bourgeoise aesthetic that balances expression and cost: it's inserted into the larger theme for the Biennale, "How Much?"

The installation reimagines a single decorative element, the coffered ceiling. First introduced to serve the purely structural function of lightening the structure, it later became purely decorative on its own, with many opulent examples all over Europe, gradually separating the structural element from its function in favor of the aesthetic effect.

My proposal takes a further step in this direction, separating the decorative from its context and abstracting it. This third step replicates an aesthetic feature as a single standalone element, separated both from its structural function and its intended setting. 

A textile-like shape flows in the air, disconnected from the ground by means of walls or columns, and instead relying on a technical suspension structure. The latter feels like something that should be hidden away, shielded by the flamboyance of the coffers, but it is instead showed off and becomes the most visible part of the pavilion from the exterior. Inside, or under, the distorted repetition of the motif of the coffer creates an inside-outside contrast while also promoting interaction with the pavilion with the introduction of a sitting area integrated in the strengthening elements. The structure is entirely in simple wood planks and beams, readily available in Estonia, with the exception of the steel fasteners.