Holmi Quarter Planning

2025 / Invited Architectural Competition/ 36 700 m2

Category: Residential, Planning, Public, Concept

Authors: Ilmar Valdur, Gert Guriev, Sofya Smirnova, Markus Kaasik

Landscape Architecture: OÜ KINO Maastikuarhitektid

CO worked with: Hendrikson DGE, Roadplan OÜ, Liikuvusagentuur OÜ

Holmi Quarter reconnects Tartu’s city centre across the Emajõgi, tying Ülejõe, the Old Town and the riverfront into one coherent, human-scale urban heart. Pedestrian-friendly streets and a new central square create natural routes for both everyday movement and leisurely walks by the water.

The quarter is planned as a mixed-use district where living, work and public life support each other: active ground floors with cafés and services, apartments and public terraces above with views to the river and Old Town.

Biodiversity plays a central role – large trees, green courtyards and pocket parks form a “green archipelago” that links into Tartu’s wider landscape. Terraces, steps and seating along the river bring people close to the water, making Holmi Quarter a place to meet, pause and experience Tartu as a contemporary river city intertwined with nature.