The 2025 summer seminar of the Estonian Association of Architects (EAA), the Estonian Association of Interior Architects (EAIA) and the Estonian Association of Landscape Architects (EALA) once again brought together professionals from across disciplines for a much-anticipated annual gathering. This year, the Tri-Union Summer Seminar took place in Haapsalu, at Hestia Spa, surrounded by the sea and the easy rhythm of summer.
As is characteristic of the event, the programme offered a rich mix of activities: diverse workshops, an evening picnic, the traditional Archivoor, and informal moments of togetherness. Throughout the day, participants were free to choose which workshops to attend—or simply to pause, meet colleagues, and enjoy Haapsalu’s calm atmosphere.
EXTERY created a comfortably furnished outdoor area during the seminar, inviting people to sit, pause and engage in conversation. Alongside this, we introduced something slightly different: a genuine rest break—one that can also take place in public space, consciously and without interruption.
The workshop “Curated Rest” guided participants on a short restorative journey amid the lively seminar programme. Led by Katrin Kivi, the pace slowed, attention turned inward, and participants experienced how presence and conscious breathing can function even in an ordinary, everyday environment—without special staging or scenography.
Just a person, public space, and a moment for oneself.
The Tri-Union Summer Seminar 2025 was a reminder that good space is not created by drawing alone. It also emerges through sitting, listening, breathing—and occasionally, simply being.
For EXTERY, it was a pleasure to help create an environment that supported these moments, because this is how living, human-centred public space truly comes to life.
