Grand Avenue Architectural Competition at the Seaside Boulevard Won by HG Architecture
The architectural competition for the new business and residential building Grand Avenue on Mere Boulevard in Tallinn was won by the architecture firm HG Architecture with the concept "Bellevue". The building, developed by US Real Estate, will begin the design phase soon, with construction expected to start in the second half of 2027.
According to Urmas Sõõrumaa, chairman of the US Invest board, the development is an interesting challenge: to create something that would beautify Mere Boulevard while also being a contemporary mirror of the Old Town. "The new building will be located in a truly special location - a place where it will reflect the Old Town and at the same time beautify the entire Mere Boulevard. As a roadside building and standing opposite the Old Town, it is somewhat ambitious and at the same time an exciting challenge that will enrich the entire cityscape and add freshness to the city's silhouette," said Sõõrumaa.
The new real estate development is part of US Real Estate's long-term development partnership Golden Line.
The architectural competition for Grand Avenue was won by the concept "Bellevue", whose authors are architects Hanno Grossschmidt and Tomomi Hayashi. According to Hanno Grossschmidt, the goal was to create a representative and timeless building and to continue a similar language as the dignified buildings and representative buildings on either side of Mere Boulevard in the area of the Estonia Theatre and Saarinen House. "The wish was not to oppose modernity, but to complement it. With the concept, we succeeded in solving the angular building volume given in the detailed plan with refined and logical forms. The required setback of the top floor has been transformed into a distinctive silhouette and a "dome" that enhances the building and is visible from far away. Equally important is the varied, cozy and inviting street frontage solution," he pointed out.
The jury of US Real Estate, evaluating the architectural competition, highlighted the uniqueness of the winning work by noting the architect's vision of solving an important challenge: to create a new building that relates to the historically important environment of Mere Boulevard and carries the values of a modern city center to future generations.
"Our goal is to create a timeless building that looks modern and outstanding, but at the same time naturally fits into the established environment. The winning work achieved this best of all," said jury member, US Real Estate's development director and board member Uko Paasik.
Construction of Grand Avenue is planned to begin in the second half of 2027, with an estimated completion date at the end of 2029.
In the architectural competition, second place was awarded to the architecture firm Architect11 for the concept "Wake", authored by Illimar Truverk, and third place to the architecture firm DOKK Architects for the concept "Malachite-Strada", authored by Karl Kiisel.
The three best works of the competition are awarded as follows: first place 12,000 euros, second place 10,000 euros, and third place 8,000 euros.
