Environmental House

2019 / Competition entry/ 26 700 m2

Category: Public, Concept

Authors: Gert Guriev, Karin Harkmaa, Markus Kaasik, Mari-Leen Lao, Mihkel Meriste, Tuuli Oago, Siim Tiisvelt, Ilmar Valdur

CO worked with: Tõnis Agasild

The Environmental House is a new landmark on the North Tallinn seaside promenade, tying together the areas around Linnahall, Patarei and the Seaplane Harbour into one whole. The clearly defined perimeter building opens toward both the sea and the city, hiding a large green courtyard at its heart – a distinctive landscape that is at once the Estonian Museum of Natural History’s largest exhibit and a public park. Above the courtyard runs an orange rooftop path that rises from the square level to the building’s highest point, extending the seaside promenade into a viewing platform.

On the ground floor, a spacious lobby brings together an information point, library, café, service hall and auditorium, guiding visitors onward to the museum exhibition, which moves through the courtyard and different levels of the building, culminating in a sea-view gallery. The building structure prioritises timber, the roof is equipped with solar panels, and rainwater is collected for technical use – the Environmental House is a nearly zero-energy building and an example of how a public building can reduce its CO₂ footprint throughout its entire life cycle.