KESKKONNAMAJA, TALLIN

The object of the architectural competition is the “Keskkonnamaja” building contracted by the Ministry of the Environment, planned on the plots next to the see in Tallinn city center. The building is an office building which will house the Ministry of the Environment, departments of the Environmental Board, Environment Agency and the Information Technology Centre of the Ministry of the Environment in Tallinn and the Estonian Museum of Natural History.

Status: International competition, 3rd prize

Client: Estonian Ministry of the Environment

Place: Tallinn, Estonia

Size: 2.1 ha; 31 412 m2

Team: RUUME arhitekti, in collaboration with b210, Rodentia, CMB

Keskkonnamaja is one building that includes the Estonian environmental management and education functions. Estonian nature is the foundation of Estonian identity and we want to build this important building as a symbol of tradition and icon for the future. The image is a symbolic wooden log house in the Estonian cultural landscape with a gable roof, a symbol of natural materials and crafts, and serves as a landmark for the Tallinn shore line. With the new building, we want to arrange the two buildings so that there is a well-developed landscape area between them. The position of the new building in the plan continues the existing urban structure, not competing with the Lennusadam museum building and creating an articulated urban-scale public outdoor space.