Estonian Landscape Architects Union / annual award 2021 winner
Cultural Endowment of Estonia in architecture / annual award 2021 winner
Location
Tartu mnt 80, Tallinn
Landscape architecture
Mirko Traks, Juhan Teppart, Uku Mark Pärtel, Kristjan Talistu, Karin Bachmann (KINO maastikuarhitektid)
With contributions from
Sten Mander, Alari Suurmets
Architecture
Margit Aule, Toomas Adrikorn, Katri Mets, Laura Ojala (LUMIA)
Margit Argus, Katariina Teigar (studioArgus)
Structural design
Innopolis Insenerid
Commissioned by
Fausto Capital
Construction
Fausto Capital
Design
2018–2019
Completed
2020
Photos
Terje Ugandi, Juhan Teppart

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For us, the most important aspect in designing the Fahle gallery street was that is must be a cosy and comfortable meeting place in Fahle Park all year round. The reconstructed historic street where in addition to offices we now also have cafes and restaurants and a glass roof with a tropical garden is the perfect place for meeting up and having a good time.
Sven Mihailov, Board member of Fausto Capital

Similarly to the outdoor area in Fahle, also the indoor gallery reflects a situation where the spaces seem to have been uninhabited for decades. Ecological succession has reached a stage where a thick plant and shrub layer has emerged with the first pioneering trees dominating the vertical dimension. The entire space is green and alive, as nature has come to use the man-made environment as a resource for clinging, climbing, rooting, nesting, hiding. Every corner, crack and niche has a practical value: cracks and gaps allow climbers to cling on them, the humus under a loose stone protects delicate roots while scratches provide a home for fungi. People return to the environment and, searching for a place in this richness, they remove only the necessary elements and retain most of the abundant greenery. It results in an exuberant, yet controlled and safe environment that is made comfortable and usable for people: you can sit, swing, eat, touch water and relate to plants – warm and light in any weather. The lost and recovered environment resonates with the user who is always searching for something new but not necessarily scary. The tropical synergy dominating the indoor space refers to the opulent Estonian plants proliferating on wastelands as well as in forests and bogs: the safe, warm and green indoor gallery provides a model of this free wilderness on a convenient scale.

KINO