Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974), one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, lived and worked in Philadelphia, USA. Kahn's work can be seen in a great variety of places around the world – a number of different states in the US, India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Kimbell Art Museum in Texas, the Bangladesh National Assembly building in Dhaka and the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut are considered to be his most important works. Estonia's connection with Louis Kahn is small but influential – he was born here and spent his early childhood here. Experts have noted connections between Kahn's work and Kuressaare castle, near where he is thought to have lived. The centralized plan has been highlighted as similarity. Kahn used natural materials in his monumental buildings: concrete, wood, bricks; the use of natural light plays an important role. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Kahn

What's on -

• Screening of the film "My Architect. A Son's Journey" (2003) with the director, Nathaniel Kahn, at Linnateater, Kuressaare.
• International architecture conference at Linnateater, Kuressaare.
• Exhibition of the work of Louis Kahn at Kuressaare Castle.

The rationale behind the festival -

• To show and introduce the work, ideas and Estonian roots of Louis Kahn, one of the world's most influential architects of the second half of the 20th century.
• To instigate international dialogue in Kahn's birthplace about how his work has influenced contemporary architecture (including architecture in Estonia) and how his childhood memories of Kuressaare and Saaremaa influenced his work.
• To explore the issue of cooperation between architect and engineer with Kahn and August Komendant as an example, since Kahn's engineering solutions for structures (e.g. the "mushroom" of the Pärnu Beach Pavilion) were also used by the Estonian engineer, Komendant .
• To discuss how Kahn's work can be viewed as a bridge between cultures considering current events in the world, where a war based on ideology has been caused by cultural differences.
• To create and strengthen architectural and cultural relations between Estonia and the United States.

The Kahn Days have been organized by THE UNION OF ESTONIAN ARCHITECTS

Project Director :
INGRID MALD-VILLAND
Concept Team:
VELJO KAASIK, professor, Estonian Academy of Arts, architect
VILEN KÜNNAPU, professor, University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, architect
MARGIT MUTSO, Union of Estonian Architects, vice-president, architect
TOIVO TAMMIK, architect
OLAVI PESTI, Saaremaa Museum, Director of Research

PARTNERS

• Saaremaa Museum
• Pennsylvania University Architectural Archives
• Kimbell Art Museum
• Juhan Simonson (former president of the Estonian American National Council)

Sponsors: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture, US Embassy in Tallinn.