On 3 January 2017, the Estonian Academy of Arts and OÜ Astlanda Ehitus signed a contract for performing renovation and construction work on the university’s future location in the Rauaniidi building, situated on the boundary of Kalamaja and the Old Town in Tallinn, at the address Kotzebue 1/Põhja pst 7. Astlanda Ehitus OÜ (registry code 11366804) won the procurement. Seven tenders were received by 10 November 2016, all of which met the procurement conditions. The winner was the lowest-cost tender, as this was the criterion for the procurement. A strength of Astlanda Ehitus will certainly be their experience in renovating buildings with historical and cultural value
The wings added to the protected Rauaniidi building in Soviet times will be demolished and new sections of the building will be built. The architects behind the project are the winners of the public architecture competition – Joel Kopli, Koit Ojaliiv, Juhan Rohtla and Eik Hermann, all of them alumni of EAA.
The future Estonian Academy of Arts building will have 12,302 square metres of enclosed net space. According to the current schedule, studies may start in the new building as early as autumn 2018.
The contractual value of the construction works including VAT is 16.2 million euros and the construction period will be up to 15 months. The construction of the new academic and research building for the Estonian Academy of Arts is funded by the European Regional Development Fund from the ASTRA measure.
The new Estonian Academy of Arts building in figures
Area under construction (m2) 3,748.6
Area of above-ground part (m2) 3,748.6
Number of aboveground storeys 6
Number of underground storeys 1
Absolute height (m) 40.3
Enclosed net area (m2) 12,302.2
Construction permit for expanding the building no. 1512229/03192
Why a new building?
As Estonia’s only public university for design, architecture and art, the Academy of Arts needs proper infrastructure in order to retain and grow its international competitiveness, and to support training, activity and entrepreneurship in the people who will shape the environment in future. The effectiveness of the Academy’s areas of activity and programmes in key spheres in society depends on having a modern, attractive study environment, and this is why the priority and most immediate goal for EAA is to have a new academic building. The previous Estonian Academy of Arts location had outdated technical systems and was otherwise obsolete. Students were studying in very cramped conditions and the physical environment was the poorest of any Estonian public university.
For more than 10 years, plans were made to relocate the Estonian Academy of Arts to different places in Tallinn (the former Patarei Sea Fortress, the former Paldiski mnt psychiatric and neurological hospital buildings, the Estonian Public Broadcasting building were among properties considered). On 31 March 2006, after long searches, the Council of the Estonian Academy of Arts decided in favour of the location on Tartu mnt 1 in the city centre in order to preserve historical continuity. Unfortunately, due to a neighbour’s opposition, the “Art Plaza” project selected at the international architecture competition could not be built, and the EAA Council thus weighed other alternatives. In September 2013, it chose a new location: the Rauaniidi factory building at Kotzebue 7/Põhja pst 1 in the Kalamaja district of Tallinn. For more, visit www.artun.ee/akadeemia/uus-maja.
Astlanda Ehitus OÜ is a construction company with long experience, responsible for building and renovating many prestigious and large-scale buildings across the country, including Hedon Spa, Creative Hub, the University of Tartu’s Institute of Physics building, the Tallinn Bus Station, Tallinn School of Service, Hiiu Ravikeskus, Mustamäe Keskus shopping centre and many others. For more, see www.astlanda.ee.
The Estonian Academy of Arts’ four faculties – architecture, design, art and culture, and fine arts – teach over thirty specialities. The Estonian Academy of Arts is the only institution in Estonia to provide higher education in a number of these specialities. The university engages in cooperation with top universities around the world and is a member of international educational and professional networks, giving students and employees superb opportunities to broaden their horizons and to pursue self-development. The Estonian Academy of Arts is one of the founders of the Estonian Design Centre and the Estonian Centre of Architecture and takes active part in developing national design, urban planning, education and art strategies. The Estonian Academy of Arts students and teaching staff talk and participate actively in developing society and the living environment. The members of the Estonian Academy of Arts including its alumni represent the Republic of Estonia in key international arenas. Finely-attuned, motivated and creative-minded people are welcomed to work and study at the Academy. Website: www.artun.ee
More information
Solveig Jahnke
Head of Communications
Estonian Academy of Arts
e-mail: solveig.jahnke@artun.ee
Tel. 5626 4949
Paul Järvsoo
Project Manager
Astlanda Ehitus OÜ
e-mail: paul.jarvsoo@astlanda.ee
Tel. 53 404 106