Estonia’s leading educational institutions are going through a renewal process - The University of Tartu new IT centre and the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences Tallinn main building architectural competitions winning designs were announced in April 2016, both designs won by an architectural firm Arhitekt11 OÜ.

Find out more about University of Tartu new IT centre under the Architect11 profile.

Less than a week after the announcement of the winning design of the architectural competition of the University of Tartu IT-centre, the winning design “Phalanx” (winning design’s visual solutions added) for the main building of EASS was revealed. The authors were Architect 11 architects Illimar Truverk, Janar Toomesso, Katrin Vannas, Sander Paljak, Kristjan Lind, Hannelore Kääramees, Kaur Käärma, Siim Tiigimägi and Tajuruum OÜ landscape architects Edgar Kaare, Terje Ong and Liina Einla.

Architect 11 partner Janar Toomesso evaluated the architectural competition victories for two important Estonia’s new educational buildings as an opportunity to contribute to the growth of Estonia’s competitiveness, because both IT and Security Sciences are areas of priority for the state as well as Europe in general.
“By creating modern and innovative educational buildings, we as architects contribute to the development of our country,” explained Toomesso. He added that the concept for the EASS architectural competition is foremost inspired by the prospective users, “Young cadets who will be studying in the building are responsible for our internal security, which means that on the outside they are confident and strong characters, but inside they need to have the understanding of how to relate with its people and nation.”

As a result of the EASS main building competition, a new, modern and energy-efficient academic building will be built on its territory in Maarjamäe, Tallinn. The plot’s hazardous and dysfunctional buildings will be demolished.

EASS rector Katri Raik noted that the cornerstone should be placed approximately in a year’s time and building will be constructed in 2018. “The new building’s fundamental value is that we are going to have everything necessary needed for modern education on an area and that is the third smaller than the existing” said Katri Raik.
“New rooms are designed by considering our specific nature, some of which we don’t have at all at the moment, that are precisely intended for certain activities – e.g. a sports hall, a training depot, an auditorium with a demonstration stage for combustion experiments, a simulation center, laboratories, a gym and a mat room, canteen etc. The building’s internal solution also calls for cooperation, which is one of the key issues for the specialties here.”

Arhitekt11 OÜ is an architectural firm founded in 2011. The firm’s goal is to provide the client with a solution that is aesthetically enjoyable, attune with the environment, energy-efficient and adds high architectural value.