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TAGASIThe pavilion brings its material from the sea to the land, experimenting with eelgrass as a building material in an Estonian public space. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is an underwater plant found in the Northern Hemisphere that seasonally sheds its long hairlike leaves. The green mass washed ashore is harvested and dried in late autumn. Due to its wide distribution, eelgrass has a long practical history – it has been used worldwide as furniture upholstery and in Scandinavia also as a building and insulation material. Although now largely overshadowed by artificial materials, eelgrass can still be found in the walls of many Danish homes from the previous century. In some regions, it has also been used in roofing instead of reed, for example, on the island of Læsø in Denmark. In Estonia, eelgrass was mainly used in mound beds on the islands where the nutrient-poor rocky soil was not suitable for growing crops. Thanks to its rapid regrowth period and low labour-intensity, it has an exceptionally low carbon footprint. Now that we are looking for local solutions for the global resource and climate crisis, such biomaterials have great potential also in the construction market. The current project was a first step in this direction, mapping the local harvesting areas and rediscovering the historical building techniques in a modern design language. Rolled in recycled fishing nets, the pavilion roof provides a place for rest and shade for the bathers in Paljassaare. The project was funded by the Green Footprint programme of Tallinn.
Text by: Iiris Tähti Toom
