News / EAA news

Architecture competition launched for Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre

02.01.2023

Tartu City Government
PRESS RELEASE

Photo: Maanus Kullamaa 

Today, on January 2, 2023, the Tartu City Government and the Estonian Association of Architects have announced the international architecture competition for the Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre. The purpose of the single-stage architecture competition is to find the best architectural design for the building and outdoor space of the Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre.

Participants are invited to design a joint building for the Tartu Public Library, the Tartu Art Museum, an event centre and other spaces supporting it, as well as a biodiverse and varied park landscape and a human scale public space. The building must be suitable for the given location and milieu and create a whole with the urban space on the waterfront of the River Emajõgi.  

Urmas Klaas, Mayor of Tartu, expressed his hope that the interest in the architecture competition is high. “There has been a lot of talk about the Downtown Cultural Centre in Tartu and elsewhere,” claimed the mayor. “We expect architects to come up with solutions that take into account the sensitive location of the building and offer opportunities to bring together various cultural fields and communities.”   

The architecture competition is organised during the city’s detailed plan process and the winner’s solution will form the basis of it. The winner will be awarded a design contract for the preparation of the construction project.

The prize fund is as follows: first place 60,000 euros, second place 40,000 euros, third place 20,000 euros and three special rewards of 10,000 euros each.  

Jury of the architecture competition: Urmas Klaas, Mayor of Tartu (chairman of the jury); Kristina Pai, director of the Tartu Public Library; Joanna Hoffmann, director of the Tartu Art Museum; Priit Metsjärv, head of the Construction Service of the Tartu City Government; Tartu city architect Tõnis Arjus; architect Enrique Sobejano (Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, Spain); architect Lina Ghotmeh (Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture, France); architect Tõnu Laigu (QP Arhitektid, Estonia); landscape architect Martin Allik (MARELD landskapsarkitekter, Estonia/Sweden). 

The submission deadline is on May 5, 2023. Conditions of the competition and other materials are available on the competition’s web page. Entries must be submitted via the Public Procurement Register.  

The opening seminar of the competition will take place on Monday, January 16, 2023 at 1 p.m. in Tartu (in the event centre of Hotel Lydia, at Ülikooli 14). At the seminar, the conditions of the competition will be introduced. Prior to the seminar at 12:00, Tartu city architect Tõnis Arjus and his team will carry out guided tours of the competition site. The seminar will also be broadcast live. The seminar will be in Estonian with simultaneous interpretation into English. Please register your attendance in advance.

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The seminar was held in Estonian (watch the seminar in Estonian here) with simultaneous interpretation into English here.

Programme: 
▶︎ Greetings from Urmas Klaas, Mayor of Tartu 
▶︎ Heads of the Tartu Art Museum and the Tartu Public Library present their visions 
▶︎ Overview of the city’s development plans by Tartu city architect Tõnis Arjus 
▶︎ Introduction of the competition task by its compiler, Elo Kiivet 
▶︎ Questions and answers

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More information about the Downtown Cultural Centre (in Estonian).

Additional information:

Elo Kiivet
project manager of the Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre
elo.kiivet@tartu.ee
+372 5656  9674