17.12.2015
Peeter Pere won the Association of Estonian Architects Annual Prize today at the architectural awards gala held at the Kultuurikatel (Cultural Boiler) for designing a private dwelling and auxiliary buildings in Tartu County. AS Merko Construction funded the 5000 euro award for the laureate. The highly acclaimed Finnish architect Rainer Mahlamäki, who was also recently part of the jury for the Alvar Aalto architectural competition, one of the world’s most prestigious architectural competitions, made the decision on awarding the prize.
Gallery: http://pilv.powerhouse.ee/index.php/s/q7UWM47F7wRB9hm
Winning entry: private collection. Pictures of the winner: Tiit Mõtus
“We are accustomed to categorising ourselves as lovers of literature, art and music, but all of us with eyes to see are lovers of architecture,” said Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) speaker Eiki Nestor, who delivered the opening address at the event. “The objective of good architecture is to convey good emotions and atmosphere. A great deal depends on this – do we feel at home in our home, do we feel at home in Estonia? Does what we see as we go about offend the eye or does it harmonise with the surrounding environment? For this reason, I find that it is very important to highlight and recognise Estonian architects in different fields – so that they would gain inspiration and thereby convey even better emotions. This is so that they would create the kind of environment where we all would like to be and live. Yet good architecture can at the same time also be something that surprises and puts Estonian architecture on the map of the world.”
According to the acknowledgement of the independent SAFA architect Rainer Mahlamäki, who was part of the EAL annual award jury, the winning entry’s daring, open-minded and forward-looking architecture, construction technology that offered challenges, successful end result, and many pleasant details all together formed a practically flawless work of architecture designed by Peeter Pere. “In this design, the concept of home broadens and acquires a dimension that speaks of how many different ways people can live nowadays. A house has been built in Estonia according to this design that merits a place of distinction on the map of contemporary architecture,” is how Rainer Mahlamäki justified his decision.
“World-class architecture is the sum of visionary thinking and successful dialogue between different parties together with professionalism in the implementation stage, which was also noticeable in Peeter Pere’s work,” added Rainer Mahlamäki. “For the same reasons, I would like to highlight another work from among the nominees – the villa on Lõuna Street in Pärnu, where restoration and renovation work has been carried out with true respect and where the architect is Jaak Huimerind. Both of these recognised private dwellings demonstrate that on top of the professional skills of the architect, the will of the customer is also behind first-rate, exciting architecture.”
“As the everyday implementer of the work of architects, we are honoured to make our contribution to recognising their creative work. Excellent harmony between home and nature has been created in the work of Peeter Pere,” said member of the board of AS Merko Construction Tõnu Toomik.
The Association of Estonian Architects Annual Prize is being awarded for the first time this year. The aim of the competition series is to highlight and recognise one noteworthy work of architecture and its author every year. AS Merko Construction supports the awarding of the prize and has signed a five-year cooperation agreement to this effect. The prize is awarded for the design of a work of architecture that has been completed and implemented each year from January of the preceding year until 30 April of the current year.
The Association of Estonian Architects (EAL, www.arhliit.ee) is an organisation of Estonian architects, landscape architects and architecture historians. The EAL is the legal successor of the Society of Estonian Architects (EAÜ) that was founded on 8 October 1921. The main activity of the EAL is the conduction of expert analyses in the field of architecture – the organisation of architectural competitions as well as narrower assessments based on expert analysis of particular objects. The EAL has 394 members. As of 2014, the President of the EAL is Indrek Allmann.
Merko Construction (http://group.merko.ee/) is the leading construction enterprise and real estate developer in the Baltic countries, providing comprehensive solutions in the fields of general construction, engineering works, electrical, road and residential construction.