A Stylish High-Rise Building City Plaza 2 is Rising Next to the Department Store
Yesterday, a detailed plan was approved for the construction of a new building at the corner of Tartu maantee 1 and Laikmaa street in central Tallinn. Across from Viru Centre, on the former site of the Academy of Arts, a parking lot has sprawled for years. Now the 4,600-square-meter plot will soon have a worthy building. According to current plans, City Plaza 2, a 28-story building, will open its doors there in early 2026. Located on the border of the Old Town protected area, as a so-called first-line high-rise, the building offers magnificent views of the sea and Old Town and fits into Tallinn's city center high-rise ensemble.
The 28-story City Plaza 2 will bring 21,000 square meters of new A-class office and commercial space to the quarter. According to Angel Andla, a board member of the building developer Estconde Invest OÜ, construction work is planned to begin immediately after the building permit is issued, or according to all expectations, in the spring-summer of this year. City Plaza 2 got its name from the well-known office building of the same name located nearby and belonging to the same developers, and the building's architectural design was created by the architecture firm Alver Arhitektid.
According to Tallinn's city center elder Monika Haukanõmme, it is positive that an important city center plot will have a modern appearance. "The new high-rise will enrich the urban space with quality architecture and it has also been considered that there would be enough greenery, landscaping and space for pedestrians. High-rises are a feature of a modern city, but certainly both today and tomorrow we proceed from the fact that they do not overshadow Tallinn's Old Town, which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage," said Haukanõmme.
In planning the new building, emphasis has been placed on sustainable building style, creating a contemporary living and working environment, and bringing greenery and pleasant living to the urban space. "City Plaza 2 building will come with an A-energy class label, energy-efficient solutions will be adopted and the most efficient heating and ventilation systems. 2,000 square meters of solar panels will be installed on the building," said Andla.
The ideal location creates a convenient connection for City Plaza 2 business center with public transport, but also for walking or cycling. "To support a green car-free lifestyle, Estonia's largest 218-space indoor bike parking has been created under the building, together with convenient shower and changing rooms. For car users, there is a warm 160-space underground parking lot," said Andla.
According to Andla, the new building contributes to the creation of an integrated urban quarter. The building's three sides open to the city communicate with the surrounding Gonsiori, Laikmaa and Tartu maantee streets. The building's eleven different entrances lead to both the corner café and other service and retail spaces. The upper floors of the building are for offices, from which enchanting views of the sea and Old Town open up.
The new building brings more greenery to the city center. A row of trees will be planted along Gonsiori street, from the Laikmaa street side the building steps back gradually and leaves space for a small green city square where you can pleasantly spend time in an outdoor café in the summer sun.
The square is decorated with a powerful maple tree, behind which the building wall is converted into a vertical greening surface and covered with living greenery. Inside the building, a warm and verdant glass-roofed winter garden spanning two stories is created. A spacious, greenery-filled atrium offers good opportunities for meetings, presentations and exhibitions, work, or simply enjoying a moment of rest with a cup of coffee in a cozy café.
Within walking distance of the new office building are the Old Town, the city's best restaurants and cafés, hotels, shopping centers, cinemas, theaters, sports halls and everything else characteristic of the urban environment.
