The City Hall is not just another office building, it sends its own message to the community and city. A building of such importance has an opportunity and obligation to demonstrate how vital public space is to the city. Which other building, than the City Hall, could guide us in the creation of urban public space.
Urban context, intriguing location
The existing context is rather one of city's backwater than one prepared for an administrative building in a trendy city center: Multifunctional hall complex (Linnahall), an abandoned megastructure, a cultural centre in the husk of an old power-plant, crumbling anchorage, seaside wasteland - urban void and a street pulsing with traffic. The location becomes even more intriguing when understanding the magnitude of the possible logistical means that it is centered on. All this while still generating new urban connections:
1) Working as a link in the gallery of seaside structures: Linnahall, renovated historical power plant (Kultuurikatel), historical prison (Patarei), seaplane hangar, Noblesser port, all being significant attractors to the seaside promenade.
2) Old Town - Sea: Tallinn had been cut away from the sea for decades. The situation has not improved despite the opening of borders. Instead of a physical boundary we now have a spacial barrier, the paved desert expanding between the port and the Old Town.
3) In theory the new building is located near the band of old fortifications that have been turned into parks and green areas. An urban megastructure surrounding the Old Town that is becoming vague right near the area of the new City Hall.
4) The site lies on the edge of the main connection between the port and the train station.
5) The location is between the city centre and developing parts of the city, Kalaranna, Noblesseri, Paljassaare and the northern side of the passenger port. Options have been kept open for the possible expansion of Rumbi st.
6) A new visual axis, that connects the Rotermann quarter with Linnahall and the fish market, through the Admirality quarter.
7) A part of a cultural trinity: Linnahall, City Hall, Kultuurikatel. They all play a role in cultural space and it's clear that they will create a synergy supporting each one of them.
Urban Plaza It is important to emphasize the spatial connectivity between the three institutions: City administration, Kultuurikatel and Linnahall. Each one has a public space with a distinct identity. Kultuurikatel with its undefined public and private room, City Hall's origami-like inner and outer space - forming a whole and culminating with the paved square at the foot of Linnahall's stairs. Therefore the street between City Hall and Kultuurikatel resembles a city square, crossed by a tram and usable by car. This is also a suitable location for a tram-stop, which would activate the area. In the case of heavier traffic a tunnel scenario should be supported as it would not cut into the public space between the two institutions.
New street proposal Reorganizing the "paved desert" between the sea and the Old Town will create a tactical solution with the objective to spatially define the identities of street-types: artery and city-street. By directing the artery underground at the front of the City Hall and condensing the city-street next to the Admirality pool, it is possible to widen the green belt bringing it a close as possible to the City Hall. The green belt, an area of old fortifications, has been defined by elevation. Beyond lies a terrace with a linear plaza or avenue and a tramway and a regular city street, none of which separates the green belt from the City Hall.
The Building Archetype, monument, image of a City Hall The new City Hall neighbours culturally important complexes: megastructure Linnahall and an event center in an old powerplant named Kultuurikatel. The aim is to connect these separate institutions into an Urban Plaza. Traditional flat paved City square for open air events. The parking lot under the new City Hall is spatially connected with the oak park, the oak trees on both sides of Linnahall will be preserved. Origami plaza, that lies under the new City Hall connects Kultuurikatel with Linnahall plaza. The new City Hall is among the several monumental structures along the north coast of Tallinn. These structures are the attractors of new urban development in Tallinn: seaside promenade. Because of that the archetype of the House on an enlarged scale is used. Trough the deconstruction of that archetype we create a surrounding public space, such as small scale plaza between Kultuurikatel and the new City Hall, giving more space to Linnahall plaza.
The building is four-branched and faces four important directions:
1) Towards the Old Town and City, which is a well-known and the most branded view of Tallinn, known to everyone 2) Communicating with the square at the front of Linnahall 3) Towards the sea 4) Towards the extension of the old railway, which complete the view from the street possibly lying instead of the railway in the future
Public auditoriums and semi-public halls place at all four tips of the building:
1) Conference hall looking towards the green belt 2) Hall of the City Council faces Linnahall 3) Hall of the City Government looking towards Kultuurikatel
Public space -continuosity, transparency -access scheme, clearly articulated entrances easily accessible from ground level, controlled access to offices The entrances to the building are from each four arms framing the squares, leading to the central atrium of the building. On ground floor the atrium accommodates a central information desk, on upper floors it generates a bright communicative zone between different departments’ office spaces. On each office floor, the floor plan is organized into zones which are applicable to an open plan office or a cabinet structure. The floor plan is adjustable to changes in program and department sizes.
Energy efficiency -passive: building shape, skin, perforation, sun shading, daylight distribution -active: energy from seawater, building automation control -flexibility in terms of program The building skin is 1 meter thick, accommodating also vertical risers. The thickness of walls gives the interior protection from direct sunlight. Heating and cooling energy will (as an option) be extracted from seawater. During the winter period, the water-source heat pumps will use seawater as a source of heat, in summer cooling and will use seawater as a heat sink. The system may be shared with the neighbouring Kultuurikatel and Linnahall. A general building automation control system will be implemented to achieve co-operation between different devices. The climate control system will be built considering possible variations in the building’s program and capacities.
