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Linnahall. Architects Raine Karp ja Riina Altmäe, interior architects Ülo Sirp ja Mariann Hakk, 1980

Linnahall

Opened in the summer of 1980, Linnahall is one of the most notable buildings in Estonian architectural history. This monumental, low-rise building blends seamlessly into the surrounding landscape and bears similarities in form to ancient ziggurats, pyramids and Japanese architecture, as well as the bastions of Tallinn’s Old Town. It was designed by architects Raine Karp and Riina Altmäe, with interior design by Ülo Sirp and Mariann Hakk. Linnahall has become an important landmark, captivating local residents, curious tourists and architecture professionals from around the world.

Linnahall is characterised by its symmetrical building volumes and ascending staircases. Arcades of various sizes soften the strictly geometric architecture. The low-rise section facing the city centre houses an ice rink with a capacity of 3,000 people. Above this, on the roof, is a spacious city square leading to the entrances of the concert hall. Beneath the square is a large transport corridor which was once traversed by a port railway and is now used by trams. At the heart of the building lies a unique, amphitheatre-shaped concert hall with seating for 4,200 people. Linnahall comprised many rooms serving various purposes, including cafés and bars located on different floors. Two low wings of the building facing the sea housed a smaller exhibition and concert hall, as well as a bowling alley.

Linnahall was built as a venue for cultural and sporting events. When it opened, Linnahall had the finest lighting and sound equipment, as well as an analogue recording studio which is still in use today. A significant amount of local pop music has been recorded there. Many internationally renowned musicians have performed at Linnahall (e.g., The Prodigy, Lou Reed, a-ha, Scorpions, and Philip Glass); it has hosted popular school and Christmas fairs, flower shows and numerous political events. The building gained international recognition in the film Tenet by American director Christopher Nolan.

Linnahall is a unique architectural masterpiece, added to the national cultural heritage list in 1997. The building has been closed to the public since 2010.
Text: Anna-Liiza Izbaš

Mart Port, Uno Tölpus, Raine Karp, Olga Kontšajeva, 1963. EAM 4.3.2

Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs building

The 11-storey administrative building influenced by the American so-called International Style was completed in the Tallinn city centre in 1968. The symmetrical facade of the building is characterized by regular rows of ribbon windows and a vertical windowless central part, which was supposed to form the background for the statue that stood in front of the building. The building has a U-shaped ground plan. On the first floor of the office building is a spacious vestibule, the walls of the vestibule were covered with pink Cuban origin marble. The offices are located on the following floors, the utility rooms are on the top floor. Conference and meeting rooms are located in the wing buildings, there is a courtyard in the middle of the building parts. A broad hyperbolic paraboloid-shell made of reinforced concrete covers the large conference hall located in the left wing of the building. Due to the complex construction, the lights were installed on the walls of the room and the ceiling was covered by 60,000 empty sprat boxes. The oiled and round sprat boxes helped to diffuse and reflect the light directed at them and ensured good acoustics in the hall. The location of the building is also significant. The office building was built on the site of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, which was foreseen by 1948 Tallinn Cultural Centre design plan (architect Harald Arman), on the other side of the Theatre Square is the “Estonia” theatre – politics and power is facing culture and spirituality. Since the autumn of 1991, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been operating in the former Estonian Communist Party Politburo building. The author of the drawings is Rein Kersten. Text: Anna-Liiza Izbaš

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