Look at Which Office Building Will Start Shaping the Image of the Gate in Tallinn

The final winner of the architectural competition organized by AS Fausto Capital, the developer of Fahle Park, one of Tallinn's most popular business districts, for the construction of a high-rise building at Tartu Street 86B has been determined. The winner turned out to be the work "PORTAAL" by the architecture bureau LUMIA and KINO Landscape Architects.

The competition winner "Portaal" fits perfectly with the overall concept of the historic Fahle Park and will become a worthy landmark at one of the city's most important junctions. "Portaal" was chosen as the winning work unanimously, and construction work is planned to begin in 2025, immediately after design completion and building permit issuance. The planned building will be 14 stories high, with 2 underground floors added, bringing approximately 10,000 square meters of A-class office space to the real estate market. The building's partition walls can be moved and the sizes and spatial planning of office spaces can be changed.

"PORTAAL" is eye-catching and will stand out with powerfully articulated, dynamic architecture, which at first glance looks like stacked shipping containers. To the building's energy-efficient glass facade, vertical brass-toned glass facade strips add articulation," describes the building Kenneth Karpov, one of the owners of Fausto Capital.

The building fits into Fahle quarter's historic industrial environment and close proximity to traffic arterials. In addition to striking architecture and environmental integration, the architects faced a major challenge in adapting the building to meet the requirements of BREEAM, Europe's leading green certification, "Outstanding" rating. "To obtain a BREEAM certificate, preparation must begin already at the concept stage, and this ensures the building with environmental friendliness, a healthy indoor climate, extensive use of greenery and many other benefits," said Priidu Lokk, head of the design department at Fausto Capital.

On the first floor of the planned building, there is an open-to-street café and shops, with offices featuring terraces on the remaining floors. The building is volumetrically articulated to achieve a memorable and sculptural form from all directions. "Since 'Portaal' will mark one of Fahle quarter's important gateways, an active urban space will be created around the building with greenery, seating areas and street furniture, and convenient connections to Fahle Park and the city. 'Portaal' allows access to business spaces from all sides. Interesting urban space is added by the preserved historical industrial heritage, the limestone wall beneath the viaduct, which has been lifted into view and illuminated," said Lokk.

"Portaal" also adds plenty of greenery to the Tartu Street side, which is located both on the building and around it. The space between the bicycle path and the road will be lined with planted shrub groups. The bicycle path is, in turn, separated from the sidewalk by a tree row and protects pedestrians from the negative effects of the road with a double green barrier. The building facade is articulated by green screens, which are of two types: screens facing south are open to outdoor planting and the screens on the north side have planting behind glass. Plants used include climbing plants, shrubs and small-growing shrubs, including evergreen species. The roof of the lower building section is also landscaped, and the roof of the higher section features solar panels.

In collaboration with LUMIA and KINO, the other buildings of Fahle Park have also been completed, which have received several prestigious architectural awards; among others, Fahle Park's gallery street received the Architecture Award of the Year last year, and the Landscape Architects Association selected the gallery street as the winner in the category: landscape and building.

The winning work "Portaal" was selected from 12 excellent concept designs, and all had equal opportunity to participate in the public architectural competition, with the authors of the winning works only becoming known to the jury after the decisions.

Video link: https://youtu.be/QTI6IqZNeZQ