The Estonian capital, Tallinn, is getting a new skyscraper in the city centre, designed by a joint team of French and Estonian architects, to be built at Tartu Maantee 17, near the Stockmann shopping centre.
The concept for the new skyscraper, called “Lumière”, was selected in an international architectural competition that organisers say attracted a great deal of interest – a total of 87 architectural firms and teams from Estonia and abroad submitted their visions.
“The winning design is an innovative skyscraper inspired by green thinking. It would introduce living spaces worthy of the capital to the business district in the centre of Tallinn and create a new urban environment. The sustainable design of the building makes the best use of natural resources and takes into account the local climate,” the organisers said in a statement.
“The building includes residential, commercial and public spaces, such as a café, restaurant, art gallery or wellness centre. At the centre of the building is a public viewing platform with a panoramic view of the city”.
Complementing Tallinn’s skyline
As the thematic plan for tall buildings in the region allows buildings up to 130 metres (427 feet), all the architects in the competition applied this limit to their designs. According to the winning design, the building will be 125 metres (410 feet) above the ground. This is in line with the height of other existing and planned high-rise buildings in the Maakri neighbourhood.
Marcelo Joulia, an internationally acclaimed architect and designer and founder of Naço Architectures, is part of the winning team for the concept of the new skyscraper and has designed buildings, hotels and restaurants in cities such as Paris, Dubai, Shanghai and Buenos Aires. According to him, the new building will complement Tallinn’s skyline and combine nature with urban life.
“The design of ‘Lumière’ is based on two pillars: the environment and innovation, reflecting our commitment to a more sustainable way of life,” he said, describing the building as distinctive for its streamlined form, inspired by the rounded shapes found in the city’s architecture and the towers of the remaining wall surrounding Tallinn’s Old Town.
The new building will be built across Rävala Puiestee from Stockmann, near the intersection of Rävala, Pronksi, Liivalaia and Tartu Maantee.
