Nominee for the Award SMALL of the Estonian Association of Architects 2024
Architecture
Mariann Drell, Ruuben-Jaan Rekkor (RMDR), Villem Sarapuu
Construction
Mariann Drell, Ruuben-Jaan Rekkor (RMDR), Johan Kirsimäe, Martin Sassjan (Haraldson), Jüri Siht (Müürissepp)
Commissioned by
Tallinna linn
Completed
2023
Photos
Paco-Ernest Ulman, Gregor Jürna, Mariann Drell
Location
Logi tn T5, Tallinn

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The value of the City Hall cannot be underestimated. This long-awaited project is a step towards a new reality. The postmodern legacy, often seen as a nuisance, must be taken as a new opportunity, especially now that the East is once again closed. What is the good we can take along from our past? The modernist urban design treated the city as a machine with clear goals and mechanisms.

Our vision of the city as a machine is layered and referenced, and much like modern machines, self-learning and seemingly aimless.

The past with all its faults seems natural as it is deeply embedded in the society, much like spatial environments – some more layered than others. We wish to continue and emphasise the form and material of the City Hall by reviving it as a valuable landscape rather than a forgotten relic. The increased usability of the area allows for a new pluralistic image with something for everybody. There is no extensive art project covering the entire coastline but a contribution to a new reality.

Despite its complicated image, the City Hall is architecturally unique and valuable.

By recycling, reusing and extending the life of existing materials we combine the old and the new with a balance reflecting the area’s future potential. The aim to use materials suitable for the site was realised as we made use of the City Hall’s old façade tiles. The fallen limestone is used for the fountain. With the eco-friendly solution we extend the life of earlier materials by changing their function and location. The structures can be dismantled, replaced and moved. Reuse can be an unpredictable process. For the pillars we used the remains of a log house renovation, painted turquoise. The custom-made orange metal elements will ensure durability. The finishing of the limestone fountain varies, the metal mesh for the roof is sourced from urban space, with the concrete blocks anchoring the City-Machine in its weathered environment.

Text by: Mariann Drell