Tallinna Kaubamaja is an important landmark in the heart of the city – due to its location, the building plays a central role in shaping this urban space. The competition entry considers these high expectations and ensures Tallinna Kaubamaja’s dominant position as both a brand and a landmark in one of Tallinn’s busiest and most demanding environments.
In an area that has been chaotically developed for decades, such a large-scale project carries great potential – an opportunity to organize the cacophonous urban space and create a friendly and inclusive urban space that meets the expectations and hopes of the 21st century. The continuity of common, actively used public space inside and outside and an active relationship with the surrounding urban space is important. The south side of the quarter is designed as a fertile oasis, where citizens can find various recreational areas, and which offers both points of interest and different movement trajectories.
Playfulness with materials (glass, steel, concrete), light and geometric forms play an important role in shaping the modern appearance of the quarter. This creates a kind of architectural logo for the department store. The sensitively combined building with large, clear forms is like a mini town, a stage for various activities. This is supported both by the environment inside the building and around it. Each activity area provides its own special spatial experience, each entrance creates a preset.
The new architecture is partly inspired by the heritage of the industrial architecture of the place. It is sustainable and offers innovative solutions suitable for modern times. Paying homage to the past, a fragment of the department store’s old facade has been preserved. The new facades have a strictly orthogonal distribution. The large glass surfaces that interrupt the silent wall surface in a calm rhythm offer the opportunity for episodic glimpses of what is happening in the house, while still leaving enough of an intriguing and inviting mystique. Liveliness/excitement is enhanced by the extensive use of flora both indoors and outdoors.
