Images: Demolition of old ERR buildings to make room for new quarter in Kadriorg
A completely new residential and commercial quarter, traversed by a new pedestrian and bicycle street, is planned for the site of Estonian Public Broadcasting's (ERR) current deteriorated buildings on Faehlmanni and Gonsiori streets in Tallinn.
ERR's new television building is still under construction and under current plans the broadcaster will move out of its old buildings in the course of 2028. However, the properties will be put up for sale as early as this fall, since the proceeds from the sale of the building complex will form an important part of the funding for the new television center's technical equipment.
ERR Administrative Director Janar Vilde said that, after consulting experts, it was decided in cooperation with Tallinn's Urban Planning Department to determine suitable development volumes for the area, initiate a detailed plan and sell the property together with the already initiated detailed plan.
"This solution gives potential buyers a clear indication of the development rights they can expect in the future Kadrioru Värava Quarter," Vilde said.
Currently, 95 percent of the old television center property is designated for public buildings and the site contains a fully depreciated building complex that is essentially suitable only for television production.
According to Vilde, work by Tüür Kadarik Architects and city planners produced the best solution, under which an extension of Faehlmanni tänav will run diagonally through the quarter toward Tallinn city center as a street for pedestrians and cyclists.
Vilde noted that the original idea had been to create a passage through the middle of the television center from Jakobsoni tänav, as this is a historic connection point. However, the city decided that the section of the old television center facing Gonsiori tänav was worth preserving, leading to the current vision of a diagonal street crossing the property.
"We want this to be a quarter in Kadriorg, not an overwhelming concrete jungle," Vilde said.
The area is planned to consist mainly of three- to five-story buildings, with one eight-story building permitted as an architectural accent.
Buildings of varying heights will line Faehlmanni tänav, adding a new and varied rhythm to the characteristic Kadriorg streetscape. Lower-rise buildings are planned on the Kollane tänav side of the quarter. The building facing Gonsiori tänav will be preserved and used primarily for commercial purposes.
No new roads for motor vehicles are planned within the quarter and vehicle access to the site will be provided via the surrounding streets.
The process of initiating the detailed plan was preceded by more than six months of discussions on preliminary development concepts. Vilde emphasized that the future owner of the property will be required to hold an architectural competition that takes into account the conditions described in the detailed planning initiation decision.
In 2024, Pindi Kinnisvara prepared an appraisal estimating the property's market value at around €8 million, rising to approximately €11 million after the planned change in land-use designation.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Marcus Turovski
