Erika Nõva
Illustration — Erika Nõva and Alar Kotli: The English College, now the main building of Tallinn University (1939). Nõva née Volberg (4 April 1905, Muuksi – 22 April 1987, Tallinn) was an Estonian architect, remembered mainly for her farmhouse designs. She was the first woman to graduate as an architect in Estonia.
Erika Nõva
Epp · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
- Born
- 1905 · Kuusalu Rural Municipality.
- Died
- 1987 · Tallinn.
- Nationality
- Estonia
- Occupation
- architect
- Education
- Tallinn University of Technology
- Languages
- Estonian
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Erika Nõva and Alar Kotli: The English College, now the main building of Tallinn University (1939). Nõva née Volberg (4 April 1905, Muuksi – 22 April 1987, Tallinn) was an Estonian architect, remembered mainly for her farmhouse designs. She was the first woman to graduate as an architect in Estonia.
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Note VALÉORINE
Erika Nõva (1905–1987) was an Estonian architect. Born in Kuusalu Rural Municipality, the architect died in Tallinn. Erika Nõva studied at Tallinn University of Technology. Languages used include Estonian.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q544522 · wikipedia · Erika Nõva
In this article
Biography
Biography
Nõva studied at the Tallinn College of Engineering becoming the Estonia's first female architecture graduate in 1925. Her first post was with the Settlement Office run by the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture which established new areas for settlement on land owned by the State. The hundreds of farmhouses she designed between 1933 and 1938 were inspired by traditional farm dwellings housing people on one side and livestock on the other. Her simple, pragmatic designs were also reflected in her farmhouse furniture. The schools in Pillapalu, Koiduküla and Peressaare were also designed by Erika Nõva. After the Second World War, Nõva carried out planning work for municipalities and farming areas, frequently returning to farmhouse design. An exhibition of Erika Nõva's work arranged by her granddaughter Siiri Nõva was held in 2005 at the Museum of Estonian Architecture in Tallinn. Eriks's elder brother August Volberg was also an architect.
Selected works
Selected works
Among Erika Nõva's principal works are: • Tallinn Sports Hall (1938) • Tallinn English College, together with Alar Kotli, (1939), now the main building at Tallinn University • Tallinn Central Hospital (1940) • Kalev Stadium, together with Alar Kotli (1952)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1905
Erika Nõva born at Kuusalu Rural Municipality.
1987
Erika Nõva died at Tallinn.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Kuusalu Rural Municipality.
Birth place
Tallinn.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Erika Nõva”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q544522: Erika Nõva
General reference · Wikidata
Literature
• Lass, Anne: Erika Nõva: minu töö ja elu, 2006, Tallinn, Arhitektuurimuuseum, 72 pp..
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Cited by Wikipedia
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Citations
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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