Emil Urbel, 1989. MEA 5.4.7

Saksi Lutheran Church

New Estonian church architecture awakened from its long coma during the late 1980s. The more liberal atmosphere of perestroika opened up a new time of opportunity for sacral architecture. The design competition for a new Lutheran church on the shore of a lake in Lääne-Viru County was one of the first of its kind. The competition jury, composed of architects from Finland, Sweden, and Estonia, commended Emil Urbel’s winning entry for its flawlessly-proportioned façade and successful immersion into the landscape. Although post-modernism that flirted with motifs of historical architecture was dominant in the late 1980s, the jury preferred Urbel’s more universal and minimalist approach. Nonetheless, the building wasn’t realised. Emil Urbel donated the drawings “Ex nihilo” to the museum in 1993. Text: Sandra Mälk

• 1980s
• Emil Urbel

Alar Kotli, 1957-1958. MEA 23.1.51

Tallinn Song Festival Arena (sketch)

The Tallinn Song Festival Arena represents the re-arrival of modernism to Estonia during the Khrushchev Thaw. The Estonian SSR leadership commissioned the structure to mark the 20th anniversary of Soviet rule, but to Estonians, it was a symbol of their nationality and culture. The Song Festival Arena was essentially also a way of the nation thumbing its nose at the USSR – with its completion, Estonians’ nearly 100-year tradition of holding mass song festivals was immortalised. Alar Kotli came close to an entirely innovative final solution already when making his initial sketches, which include a saddle-roof in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid that functions as an acoustic screen. The sketches were donated to the museum by Anu Kotli in 1997. Text: Sandra Mälk

• 1950s
• Alar Kotli

Leonhard Lapin, 1975–1976. EAM 4.2.87 and Fk 821

Signs in front of the entrances to the Pärnu KEK housing complex

The housing complex of ​​Pärnu KEK includes constructive signs that are located in front of the terraced house called “Kuldne Kodu” (Golden Home). Although concrete was still a rarity as a material in the 1970s, materials were more available for the construction offices of the collective farms (kolkhozes). In the same spirit the terraced house that was constructed in monolithic concrete was completed with concrete-poured sculptures. According to Leonhard Lapin, the sculptural architectons offer a great way to present different ideas, and since it is free of restrictions, the small form allows to present the ideal architecture. The constructions in blue and other bright tones were more than just ideas, in fact. A monolithic structure with a different structure and color was planned in front of each entrance, so it was easy to find the right staircase of a terrace house that was about a kilometer long. In addition to directing, the architectons offered a rare view of abstract sculptures that were scarce in the Soviet public space. As well as the residential area itself, the signs were not fully implemented. In 2008, Andres Ringo handed over the architects’ drawings to the museum. Text: Sandra Mälk

(click on the picture to see more examples)

• 1970s
• Leonhard Lapin

Leonhard Lapin, 1986–1988. EAM fond 68

Graphic series “Estonian Art of Architecture”

On December 29, Leonhard Lapin would have celebrated his 75th birthday. Lapin’s legacy is characterized by bold modernist architecture, but his work was far from limited to that. Leonhard Lapin has published poetry collections and was an outstanding art innovator. Recognizable are his pop-art-influenced graphics, distinctive architecture in urban spaces and art galleries. Leonhard Lapin has kindly brought his projects and works of art to the architecture museum over the years. This year, the architectural drawings in the home archive arrived here with his legacy. As a heartfelt addition, Leonhard Lapin’s son and daughter gave the museum 5 colorful letterpress graphics from the 1980s. The series is called “Estonian Art of Architecture” and depicts the work of various masters from the early decades of the 20th century: Nikolai von Glehn’s Palm House, Georg Hellat’s Art Nouveau old Endla theater-society house, National Romantic Kalevi Yacht Club Pirital (Karl Burman), Herbert Johanson and Eugen Habermann’s Riigikogu building and Tallinn 21. School designed by Artur Perna. Text: Sandra Mälk

• 1980s
• Leonhard Lapin