EDUCATION

2015–2017 Estonian Academy of Arts — M. Arch in Architecture and Urban Planning
Master’s thesis “Shaping Space by Experience Data”
Supervisors Martin Melioranski, PhD Renee Puusepp

2012–2015 University of Applied Arts Vienna — Master Studio of Greg Lynn

2009–2012 Estonian Academy of Arts — BA in Architecture and Urban Planning

2018–2020 University of Tartu, Institute of Law — Law Studies

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2024– Commissioner of the Estonian Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale

2024– Chair of the Board, Estonian Museum of Architecture

2022– Architecture and Design Advisor, Estonian Ministry of Culture

2020–2021 Architect and Extended Reality Expert, Spatial Design Competence Centre, Tallinn Strategy Center

2018–2023 Head of the VR Lab and Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Estonian Academy of Arts

2014–2015 Coordinator of Lecture and Exhibition Programme, Angewandte Innovation Laboratory

Freelance work:
Architecture and media solutions for Kadarik Tüür Architects, ARS Projekt, Jaan Tiidemann Architecture Office, Allianss Architects, Skanska AB, Forst FX, Greenergy Data Centers, Mektory, the City of Tallinn, the Estonian Museum of Architecture, and others.

LECTURES & PRESENTATIONS

2022 Poster presentation “Bringing Together Emotion Detection and Virtual Reality Technologies”, Transform4Europe “Inno-Methods” Conference, Kaunas

2022 Public lecture “Spatial Experience in Extended Reality”, LMDA Talks: Extended Bodies / Extended Spaces

2021 Public lecture “On the Perception of Reality and New Forms of Spatial Experience”, Estonian Museum of Architecture lecture series Live Space

2019 VR demo “Application of Biometric Data in Interactive Design Solutions”, MELT Innovation Forum

2018 Poster presentation “Shaping Space by Experience Data”, Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture Conference Shared Behavioral Outcomes, Salk Institute

2018 Lecture “Emotion Detection in Virtual Reality Environments”, Cooperation Festival At the Right Time, in the Right Place

2017 Lecture “Experience Data as a Spatial Design Tool” at Tartu Planning Conference

2015 Panelist at Tallinn Architecture Biennale Symposium Self-Driving City, panel Data
(with Lev Manovich, Steven Poole, Jaan Priisalu, Jarmo Eskelinen)

2015 Symposium “Final Conversations with Rem Koolhaas”, 14th Venice Architecture Biennale
2013 Lecture “Interspace”, Architecture Flash Lecture “Fundamentals”
(with Johan Tali and Siim Tuksam)
2013 Lecture “Dubai Transformer”, Prague Biennale of Experimental Architecture
(with Stephan Tomas)
2012 Lecture “MariBIOr”, Opening Programme “2112Ai”, 13th Venice Architecture Biennale

PUBLICATIONS & WRITING

* 2025 "From Principles to Practice: Approaches for High-Quality Baukultur" (Davos Baukultur Alliance)

2025 “Architecture Awards Without New Buildings” (Sirp, cultural weekly)

2024 “On the Challenges of Design Use and the Intelligent Client” (kul.ee)

2023 “On the Reconstruction of Ukraine, i.e. new ones will replace lost homes” (Sirp, cultural weekly)

2022 “Everyone’s Equal Right to a High-Quality Living Environment” (kul.ee)

2020 “Mutual Feelings: On Biometric Technologies and Spatial Computing” (Maja, architecture magazine)

2017 “On Depicting the Layers of Reality” (Müürileht, cultural weekly)

2017 “The Climate Change of Work: An Interview with Johanna Jõekalda” (trojanhorse.fi)

2016 “On the Tokens of Today: An Interview with Mario Carpo” (Ehituskunst, architecture magazine)

2016 “On the Theoretical Framework of Digital Architecture” (unpublished)

2015 “The Question of Perception” (Maja, architecture magazine)

2015 “Interspace” (Estonian Cultural Endowment Yearbook; interview by Karen Jagodin)

* 2014 “Interpace: Essays on the Digital and the Public” (Estonian Centre for Architecture / Lugemik)
“The Trinity of the Real Time” (essay collection Interspace)
“Interspace Between Book Covers and in the Conference Hall” (Maja, architecture magazine)

2014 “What’s the Purpose of a National Pavilion Today?” (Volume, architecture magazine)

2013 “Safe Experimentation: Recent Architecture Diplomas from Vienna” (Sirp, cultural weekly)

2012 “Retrospective and Future Perspective” (Ehituskunst, architecture magazine)

2012 “On Architectural Intelligence. On Intelligent Architecture.” (Maja, architecture magazine)

*editorial roles indicated where applicable

Johanna Jõekalda is the advisor on architecture and design at the Estonian Ministry of Culture. She is also the board chair of the Estonian Museum of Architecture and the commissioner of the Estonian National Pavilion at Biennale Architettura in Venice. 

In her creative work she has been focusing on new technologies and new kinds of spatial experience. She has practiced at several architecture offices and research units. In her artistic practice she is working on the borderline of physical and virtual spaces. Her exhibits and spatial installations have been presented at different international architecture exhibitions, including multiple Biennale Architettura in Venice and Tallinn Architecture Biennales. She has created interactive artworks and data visualisations for companies like Greenergy Data Centers and Mektory and public institutions like the City of Tallinn and the Museum of Estonian Architecture. Besides architecture and design she has been working on brain tracking experiments. Human spatial perception was also the research topic of her master thesis where she proposed workflows to apply biometric data in user experience analyses.

contact:
j.joekalda@gmail.com
+372 56252427

EXHIBITIONS

2025 “Let me warm you“, Estonian Pavilion, 19th Venice Architecture Biennale “Intelligens” (as a commissioner; curators Elina Liiva, Helena Männa, Keiti Lige)

* 2021 Jubilee Exhibition “The Houses We Need”, Estonian Museum of Architecture (with Artur Staškevitš)

* 2019 Curatorial proposal “Beauty Matters”, Tallinn Architecture Biennale (with Yael Reisner)
2019 Curatorial exhibition “Future Materials”, Tallinn Design Night (curator Kärt Ojavee)
2017 “bioKool”, Tallinn Architecture Biennale exhibition, Baltic Station Tunnel
2017 “TASE”, Estonian Academy of Arts Graduation Exhibition, Noblessner Foundry

*2016 “Psychotectonics”, Estonian Academy of Arts Gallery (with Meri-Kris Jaama)

*2014 “Interspace”, Estonian Pavilion, 14th Venice Architecture Biennale (with Johan Tali, Siim Tuksam)

2014 “Input – Output”, Estonian Museum of Architecture (with Mikk Meelak, Johan Tali, Siim Tuksam)
2014 “Open(ed) Borders” Estonian Academy of Arts Gallery
2013 “Essence” Gradshow of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Künstlerhaus
2013 Prague Biennale of Experimental Architecture
2012 “Signs of Life”, Gallery of Tallinn University Academic Library
2012 “Formations”, 13th Venice Architecture Biennale, Australian Pavilion
2012 “100 Year City”, 13th Venice Architecture Biennale, Slovenian Pavilion

* 2011 “Endgame” Draakon Gallery (with Laura Linsi and Gert Guriev)
2010, 2011, 2012 “Endgame” Draakon Gallery

*curatorial roles indicated where applicable

SELECTED GRANTS & AWARDS

2025 Estonian Cultural Endowment Annual Award, Nominee

2022 Ministry of Education’s Title “Educational Act of the Year” for the project “Welcome Ukrainians”

2019 Estonian Young Architect Award — Nominee

2019 Creative Activity Support Grant for Culture Educators for the project: “Creative Project R”

2018 Young Talent Architecture Award — Nominee

2018 Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2019 Curatorial Competition 1st Prize — “Beauty Matters” (with Yael Reisner)

2017 Estonian Association of Architects Annual Exhibition Curatorial Competition 3rd Prize — “Evidence in Artificial Realities” (with Artur Staškevitš)

2017 Applied Research and Development Competition 1st Prize — “Experience Data as a Spatial Design Tool”

2017 Tallinn Entrepreneurship Award for the project: “Experience Data as a Spatial Design Tool”

2016 Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture Student Competition — Bridge Synapses

2016 State Real Estate Ltd. Scholarship for the project: “Innovative Techniques for Creating and Representing Space”

2015 Gambling Tax Council Scholarship for the project: “Psychotectonics”

2015 Austrian Scholarship Foundation Grant

2014, 2012 Ministry of Culture Cultural Grant

2013 Ülemiste Smart City Invited Competition (with Ülar Mark)

2013 Estonian National Pavilion Competition, 14th Venice Architecture Biennale   1st Prize — “Interspace” (with Siim Tuksam and Johan Tali)

2013 Ernst Kesa Scholarship, Estonian National Culture Foundation

2012 Archimedes Kristjan Jaak Study Scholarship

2008 Architecture Photography Competition Majapilt 2nd Prize — “Sleepy Views, Dreamlike Views”

WORKSHOPS & CONFERENCES

* 2023, 2024, 2025 Local Government Cultural Workers Development Programme — Spatial Design Training

2025, 2018, 2016 Conferences of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture Conference, Salk Institute

* 2024 Estonian Pavilion Curatorial Competition, Venice Architecture Biennale (copmetition, briefing sessions, leading the jury work, public final round, etc)

*2023 Ukrainian Family-type Foster Homes Architecture Competition (competition, briefing sessions, leading the jury work, etc)

* 2019 Estonian VR Community Summer Conference, Estonian Academy of Arts

* 2019 Extended Reality Morning Sessions, Estonian Academy of Arts

* 2018 “Buildings for a Better Society” Studio Evaluation and Pop-up Exhibition, 16th Venice Architecture Biennale Biennale Sessions Opening Programme

* 2017 Aalto University — Trojan Horse Summer School (with Nick Axel, Kaisa Karvinen, Tommi Vasko)

* 2016 Discussion Evening “Psychotectonics”, Estonian Academy of Arts Gallery (with Meri-Kris Jaama and Ailan Daniel Marg)

2016 Summer Laboratory in Visual Big Data Processing “Digital Traces”, European University at St. Petersburg

* 2014 Symposium “Architecture in a Data Society”, Teatro Piccolo Arsenale, Opening Programme “Freeport”, 14th Venice Architecture Biennale (with Johan Tali and Siim Tuksam)

2012 European Architecture Students Assembly Annual Congress “Wastelands” (Organizing Team Volunteer)

*organizing roles indicated where applicable