Aru Ma- Architects Lecture + Logi Sauna

Cheng Hao Chung of Aru Ma- Architects will present the work and approach of the Shanghai- and Tokyo-based architectural practice. Founded in 2021 by Cheng Hao Chung and Zhang Jie, Aru Ma- Architects explores how ordinary materials and structural ingenuity can create distinctive spatial and atmospheric experiences.

Lecture title: Concept and Construct

The lecture examines how a single architectural intervention can produce radically different spatial experiences. Placing a large screen within an open space creates two opposing conditions: one side directs occupants towards their surroundings and a state of exposure, while the other offers refuge and withdrawal. This contrast demonstrates how the underlying logic of a concept can itself become an object of architectural design.

Aru Ma- Architects extends this approach to broader social and spatial contexts. Social phenomena and patterns of behaviour can reveal concepts rooted in a community’s shared experiences. By tracing these patterns and translating them into spatial form, new architectural possibilities and ways of experiencing space can emerge.

Aru Ma- Architects website: https://www.arumaarchitects.com/

Zhang Jie and Cheng Hao Chung. Photo credit: Xu Xiaobai, Pan Yue

Aru Ma- Architects won the TAB 2026 Installation Programme Competition “Budget Bougie” with Resonance. The pavilion will open in front of the Estonian Museum of Architecture on 10 September.

Following the one-hour lecture, the evening will continue with a communal sauna session at Logi Sauna until 21:30. Logi Sauna is a citizen-initiated, volunteer-run wood-fired public sauna on Tallinn’s waterfront. Designed by Kaisa Sööt, Margit Säde, Liina-Liis Urke and Regina Viljasaar-Frenzel, it was nominated for the EUmies Awards 2026 (https://eumiesawards.com/heritageobject/logi-sauna/).

The lecture will be held in English.

17:30–18:30 Lecture — free admission
18:30–21:30 Sauna — 5€ ticket

For the sauna, please bring two towels, flip-flops and a water bottle. Swimwear and a bathrobe are optional. There are no washing facilities; visitors can cool off in the sea at their own risk.