PHOTO AND VIDEO: Former Raadi Airport Area to Become Nature-Centered Urban District

Real estate developer Reterra Estate, in cooperation with Tartu Municipal Government, organized a planning competition for the land areas of Rannaste, Kingu, Nuka, and Vari in Raadi village, which was won by the architecture bureau Molumba. According to the winning proposal's concept, Raadi will gain a nature-centered town with smart architecture, where there is room for people, animals, birds, insects, and plants.

According to Reigo Randmets, chairman of the board of Reterra Estate, the company has been developing and building new homes in the Raadi region for over five years. At the end of 2021, approximately 250 new homes were completed on Raadiraja Street, to which will soon be added nearly a hundred apartments on Kaupmehe Street, and in a few years about two hundred apartments on Ermi Street.

„We have established a strong foothold in Tartu Parish and will continue development in the vicinity of the ERM even after years by creating a complete residential district on a land area of about twenty hectares next to Raadi Nature Park, which in addition to contemporary architecture will adhere to principles of environmental protection and sustainability. Currently, preparations are underway with architects and Tartu Parish to initiate the detailed planning process, and we hope to reach the stage of initiating the plan still this year," added Randmets.

One of the strengths of the new residential quarter is certainly its nature-close location right next to Tartu city. Tartu city center is only a few kilometers away, and our goal is to find during the planning process how to connect the new residential district with the city center. We want to offer residents a convenient opportunity for walking or cycling, and we wish to contribute to increasing the share of sustainable modes of transportation in the Tartu region.

Compared to other centers being developed in the area, the great advantage of the new town planned in the Rannaste region is its proximity to Tartu city, which itself is also developing and expanding toward Raadi and will be connected with the new town through a shared nature conservation area.

Tartu Parish Governor Jarno Laur praised that more and more developments in Raadi are being prepared with an integrated view, engaging the best Estonian architects through planning or architectural competitions. „Already in the early phases of planning, beyond the residential buildings, social infrastructure, business premises, and recreational areas are thought through. This is also important in the case of the Rannaste plan, as the solution for this area will provide guidance for the planning of neighboring areas in the future," added Jarno Laur.

„The strength of the urban planning vision created by the architects of the competition winner Molumba OÜ is a clear public green space axis running through the area, with buildings serving business and public functions on its edges and inside. The planned apartment buildings are divided into four clearly distinguishable groups, each group of apartment buildings forms its own unit, along its perimeter runs a public street space, and in its core is a safe green courtyard area," commented Egle Nõmmoja, Tartu Parish architect.

In creating the winning proposal „Who in the Garden?", the architects of Molumba proceeded from the principles of sustainable environment and a contemporary interpretation of Ebenezer Howard's garden city concept, where the development area combines the qualities of both rural and urban environments.

Thus, the new town is planned to include car-free zones, carbon-neutral buildings, solar panels, motion-sensor lighting, community waste sorting and composting, community gardens, smart city solutions, creating habitats for animals, birds, insects, and plants, reuse of existing structures and landscapes, as well as each building block has its own pond in the center, which serves as a natural rainwater reservoir.

„The planning idea emphasizes the smooth integration of the created living environment with Raadi nature conservation area, while also maximally preserving the hilly landscape forms created by the Soviet military and the evolved natural environment in the region. Located almost in the city, the nature conservation area surrounding the planned area creates a feeling of living in quite a total natural environment, and the idea of the planning solution is to preserve this wild feeling as much as possible," commented Johan Tali, one of the authors of the plan, architect at Molumba.

„Who in the Garden?" plan authors are Molumba architects Johan Tali, Karli Luik, Heidi Urb and Harri Kaplan.

Reterra Estate OÜ is a company engaged in real estate development and investment based on domestic capital. The company's main investments are directed toward commercial real estate and residential real estate development projects in Tallinn, Tartu, and Riga.

The visuals of the Rannaste plan can be viewed here

The Rannaste plan video tour can be found here