Cultural Endowment of Estonia in architecture / annual award 2021 nominee
Location
Lembitu 12, Tallinn
Architecture, Landscape architecture
Raivo Kotov, Olga Batuhtina, Eleriin Tekko (KOKO Arhitektid)
Interior architecture
Tatjana Jakobson, Natalia Kotljarova (Design Studio CMY)
Structural design
Siim Randmäe, Kaspar Karus, Liisi Must (Ehitusekspertiisibüroo)
Commissioned by
Hotel Lembitu
Construction
Ehitustrust
Design
2016–2019
Completed
2020
Photos
Tõnu Tunnel

Näita kaardil
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TAGASI

The hotel meets all our expectations, it is a great success in terms of architecture and interior design. We wanted our clients to sense that it is a high-class hotel and not merely a tourism product. Koko architects and interior designers have been very skilful at combining the old and the new, black and white, classic and modern features. The hotel lobby is exactly what we wanted – spacious and cosy, yet luxurious. The part of the building dating back to the early 20th century was retained which allowed us to have two leisure areas based on very different concepts. The hotel rooms are spacious and designed in different styles and décor, the large bathrooms provide further amenities for long-term visitors. The capacity of the expansive restaurant on the sixth floor is in keeping with the maximum number of hotel guests to ensure smooth breakfast and à la carte service. The gas fireplaces allowed us to add extra cosiness to the restaurant, spa and wine bar. The operability of the hotel is very effective (the solutions could have been better only if we had been able to design and build the hotel from scratch) when considering that it is a combination of three different buildings where a number of features had to be preserved.
Toomas Teeväli, CEO of Hotel L’Embitu

Hotel L’Embitu with its 125 rooms is located in Lembitu Street in the historic Sibulaküla district. Before the reconstruction, there were two buildings joined to one another on the plot. There was a historical hospital at 12 Lembitu Street renovated after the Second World War and an office building at 10 Lembitu Street completed in 1973 forming the corner of Vambola and Lembitu Streets.

In the reconstruction, we preserved the valuable structures of the building as much as possible and also the façade of the hospital in Lembitu Street. In this case also the rooms behind the façade have been retained, thus providing a welcome exception to the traditional wide-spread facadism.

The architecture of the hotel combines dignity and modesty. The top floor of the building takes a long step backwards forming an integrated whole with the surrounding buildings. The main entrance with the reception and lobby is clearly discernible at the corner of the building at the intersection of Lembitu and Vambola Streets. The hotel has a U-shaped floor plan. There is a green courtyard between the two wings for the guests to take a break from the bustle of the city centre. In addition to the lobby, the ground floor also accommodates a small spa and utility rooms while the hotel rooms are located on floors 2-6. The restaurant and conference rooms are on the top floors with views of Lembitu Park, highrises in Maakri Street and the Old Town.

Raivo Kotov