Environmental house

We joined forces with the talented architects of RUUME from neighboring Latvia to create "Tare," a project that won 3rd place in the Environmental House architecture competition.

The main entrance to the building faces the central square, ensuring visibility and a prestigious appearance. Bicycle parking is located near entrances on both axes of the building. The building is surrounded by pedestrian areas with various uses. Vehicle movement is primarily directed along Vesilennuki Street, which accommodates bus stops and the entrance to the underground parking.

The Environmental House and the Seaplane Harbour, along with a thoughtfully designed and attractive outdoor space, will form the city's cultural center. The proposed arrangement of volumes creates an inviting and representative square between the two public buildings. The placement of the new building continues the existing urban structure, respects the historical Seaplane Harbour building, and creates a well-defined public outdoor space for the city.

The Environmental House ensures convenient access through its welcoming outdoor spaces and parking solutions, catering to pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, and private vehicles. The public space, integrated with the surrounding environment, provides smooth access to the sea, the coastal promenade, and nearby buildings.

The main entrance to the building faces the central square, ensuring visibility and a prestigious appearance. Bicycle parking is located near entrances on both axes of the building. The building is surrounded by pedestrian areas with various uses. Vehicle movement is primarily directed along Vesilennuki Street, which accommodates bus stops and the entrance to the underground parking.

The waterfront pedestrian promenade, the existing Seaplane Harbour Museum, and the planned building structure shape the relationship between the building's placement and the public outdoor space, determining key movement directions and the position of public squares. The central part of the building features a public courtyard at the intersection of two main movement axes. Along one axis—connecting the building to the waterfront promenade—are a café area, a children's playground, and a marine-themed exhibition, embodying a "blue" theme (water, sea, maritime exhibits). This axis could extend to the sea, ending with steps leading to an outdoor pool. The other axis houses the main entrance to the new building and a shared square for the Environmental House and the Seaplane Harbour Museum. This "green" area (landscaping, trees, vegetation) showcases natural Estonian landscapes and phenomena (meadows, fields, boulders). Low, varied landscaped islands create an attractive yet subtle background for surrounding buildings and activities.

The main volume of the Environmental House is functionally divided into three parts. The first floor houses shared spaces of the Environmental House, a delivery area, and some Ministry facilities (e.g., laboratories). From the second floor, the building’s side facing the Seaplane Harbour and the sea accommodates spaces for the Museum of Natural History.

The northwestern and southwestern sections of the building are designated for Ministry offices. The first floor of the annex features a temporary exhibition hall connected to the main foyer entrance. There is also a separate entrance to office spaces and a potential connection to the Ministry. Offices are located on the 2nd to 5th floors.

Ministry offices occupy the southern part of the building on floors 2–5. The Ministry and the Museum of Natural History share a main entrance that opens onto the central square. A functional scheme with a 2.7x2.7m grid ensures maximum flexibility in spatial and technical solutions. All floors have a similar zoning arrangement—staircases, restrooms, kitchens, break areas, and offices are located around the central courtyard, while open work areas run along the building's perimeter. Laboratories are situated on the first floor with direct access to the service entrance. .

The Estonian Museum of Natural History occupies the northern part of the Environmental House. Its structure allows exhibits to be viewed on multiple levels, offering various perspectives and enhancing creative possibilities for exhibition design. The museum’s vertical circulation is arranged around the central courtyard, visible to visitors from all floors as they move through the building. The placement of vertical circulation near the glass atrium enables separation of the staircase from exhibits with internal walls, allowing exhibits to remain in darkness if needed or keeping the staircase fully visible for a striking visual feature.

Year: 2019
Authors: RUUME Architects, MARIHUNT Architects, Rodentia, CMB
Team: Mari Hunt, Mari Möldre, Nele Šverns, Oskars Vavere, Liene Adumane-Vavere, Liva Nordmane, Martins Rusins, Sandra Sinka, Olga Trebuhina (CIA RUUME Architects), SIA Rodentia, SIA CMB