Gallery: See what the Pirita River estuary will look like in the future
The winning design for developing the area near the mouth of the Pirita River envisions residential buildings, commercial spaces, a hotel and a promenade.
The aim of the competition announced this summer was to find a cohesive architectural design for the area that would be practical, technically feasible and economically viable. A total of 15 entries were submitted.
"While the quality of the entries varied and not all the proposals met the client's expectations, the competition nevertheless achieved its goal: We found a very strong design that clearly stood out from the rest and the jury's decision was unanimous," said jury chairman Aivar Tuulberg, chairman of the supervisory board of the Tallinn Olympic Sailing Center (TOP).
The winning entry was designed by Maarja Kask, Ralf Lõoke and Martin McLean of architecture firm Salto. Their design draws on the site's location between the sea and the river. The proposal's defining architectural feature is its stepped buildings.
In addition to apartments, the development will include a hotel, spa, swimming pool, curling facility, sports and fitness facilities and a health center. Plans also call for a restaurant and cafe, retail, service and office space, a childcare facility and an event and conference hall.
The development's largest public square is planned for the waterfront, overlooking the Tallinn skyline and will connect to the seaside promenade. A separate plaza will be created in front of the hotel entrance.
An underground parking garage will be built, with its entrance located on Topi tänav.
The developer's next step is to proceed with the detailed spatial plan and work with the winning architects to further develop the design.
"It is still too early to give specific dates, but our goal is to move forward as smoothly and quickly as possible in cooperation with the City of Tallinn," Tuulberg added.
The architectural competition jury comprised chairman Aivar Tuulberg, TOP representative Margus Hütt, Tallinn Urban Planning Department architect Kalle Rannula and architects Mari Hunt and Emil Urbel, representing the Estonian Association of Architects.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
