TAB 2026 Symposium “Sounds Expensive”

TAB Symposium

Symposium Day I: To Be Continued
10 september, 9.00–17.15
EKA auditorium, Põhja pst 7, 10412 Tallinn

Symposium Day II: Sounds Expensive
11 september, 9.30–18.00
EKA auditorium, Põhja pst 7, 10412 Tallinn

Not everything is always as it seems. A first impression may prove misleading; simple flat-pack furniture instructions can take hours to follow; quiet, introspective people may sing with unexpected force; and a cheaply constructed building can become expensive over time. In architecture, such illusions are daily companions, especially when factoring cost into architectural practice and thinking. Beyond the illusion of cheapness, where reduced upfront costs postpone expenses and responsibilities into the future, the accompanying symposium extends this inquiry into how architects navigate economies, constraints and systems of values. 

The symposium is structured as a practice-driven debate connected to TAB 2026’s main exhibition. It brings together exhibition participants to present their work and situate their practices in dialogue with others through panel discussions. Each session is opened by invited architectural thinkers giving keynotes that introduce thematic blocks. working closely with the Biennale’s theme. Writer, curator and architectural critic Phineas Harper considers how much illusion is embedded in narratives of budgetary scarcity; Professor of Architecture Claire Zimmerman reflects on the relation between cost, access, class and intention; and architects and designers Thomas Flores and Mathias Palazzi propose an updated understanding of architectural frugality through the lens of excess. 

Discount tickets are valid for school pupils, students, and pensioners.

Early Bird tickets are on sale until 31 July. Full prices apply from 1 August!