Tallinn High-rise Building Competition 
Aerial view of Tallinn with designated competition site
Sponsor: Real estate developer Elon OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia
Type: International, invited, two-stage (second stage is competition)
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Language: English
Timetable
Submission: November 13, 2023
Registration: November 13, 2023
Participants (4-6) selected: November 27, 2023 Process:
The portfolio will be assessed, and the winner of the competition will be selected by a jury consisting of members of the Union of Estonian Architects Ülar Mark, Risto Parve and Siiri Vallner, architect Jaak-Adam Looveer representing the Tallinn Strategic Planning Service, as well as three representatives of the developer. Compensation
Each bureau selected in the portfolio round that submits a concept solution within the set deadline will receive a payment of 12,000 euros. Additionally, the winner of the competition will receive a prize of 25,000 euros, and the second-place winner will receive 15,000 euros. Design Challenge
The competition area is located in the Maakri high-rise building district in Tallinn. Currently, the site and the area around it are cut off from the city centre and, in fact, turned into an isolated place where people have no direct reason to come. The solution sought in the competition should bring here permanent residents, as well as the life and light worthy of the heart of the city. 
The competition aims to find a modern architectural solution that will adorn the centre of Tallinn and will also be cutting-edge in terms of materials and construction technologies. The new multifunctional building is expected to enrich the capital’s public space and improve the quality of life throughout the Maakri area. Most of the building will have apartments, and in addition, it will also have commercial premises and public areas – for example, a cafe or a restaurant, an art gallery, and an observation deck. “The city is waiting primarily for a new type of high-rise building, something that the current austere and even cold-looking high-risers have not brought to Tallinn,” said Jaak-Adam Looveer, an architect and city planner at the Tallinn Strategic Planning Service, and a member of the jury. One of the goals of the competition is to improve the quality of street space in the entire area of the planned building – it should become more human-friendly and green. For example, the section of Tartu Road bordering the competition area is now outdated, the urban space here has become empty and has lost its attractiveness. The area is being developed by Elon OÜ. Its leading partners are Hannes Roosaar and Aleksei Nikolajenko, who have extensive experience in the real estate field. Also taking part in the development project is Philippe Bucheton, head of the international real estate fund Bleecker, whose shares are listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. Elon is Estonia’s first sustainable real estate developer and project management company dedicated to the development of holistic residential environments and commercial real estate. Founded in 2020, the company is now one of the fastest-growing residential and mixed-use real estate developers in Estonia. The competition guidelines and annexes can be downloaded here:
http://www.elon.ee/ideevoistlus/en/ Additional information:
Andrus Väärtnõu
Email: [email protected] |
 Changdong Station winner – image ©D & B Partners Architects
Whereas international competitions for real projects have become a rarity lately, Korea is a welcome exception. Among the plethora of competition announcements we receive almost weekly, several have ended with foreign firms as winners. But the history of welcoming international participants does go back several years. One notable early example was the Incheon Airport competition, won by Fentress Bradburn Architects (1962-70).
Among the more recent successes of foreign firms was the Busan Opera House competition, won by Snøhetta (2013-) and the Sejong Museum Gardens competition, won by Office OU, Toronto (2016-2023).
Read more… Preparation and Organization of Design Competitions 
[phase 1] Benjamin Hossbach / Christian Lehmhaus / Christine Eichelmann
210 × 230 mm, 192 pp.
over 600 images
softcover
ISBN 978-3-86922-316-2 (English)
ISBN 978-3-86922-240-0 (German)
Dom Publishers
€48 in EU (For price abroad, see below)
Founded in 1998 in Berlin, Phase 1 has been a principal player in the organization and facilitation of design competitions, not only in Germany, but abroad as well. The accomplishments of the firm have been well documented in three volumes—The Architecture of Competitions—beginning in 2i006. Whereas these books mainly focused on the results of the competitions they have administered, the present work, Fundamentals of Competition Management, takes one from the very beginnings of the competition process to its conclusion. The authors envisioned the publication as “three three books in one: one „blue book“ with example projects, one „yellow book“ with statements and the „white book“ with the actual guideline to competition management.”
Although there have been a number of handbooks covering the administration of designcompetitions a study covering the entire process in such detail is a welcome addition to the the literature in this field. As a contribution to this important democratic process that has yielded exceptional design for decades, this volume is not only valid for Europe, but a current overview of the process for those globally who wish to raise the level of design by virtue of a design competition. -Ed Foreign institutions wishing to obtain a copy of the book will recieve a discount to cover the cost of foreign shipping.
To obtain a copy for that offer, go to: [email protected] 
1st Place: Zaha Hadid Architects – night view from river – Render by Negativ
Arriving to board a ferry boat or cruise ship used to be a rather mundane experience. If you had luggage, you might be able to drop it off upon boarding, assuming that the boarding operation was sophisticated enough. In any case, the arrival experience was nothing to look forward to. I recall boarding the SS United States for a trip to Europe in the late 1950s. Arriving at the pier in New York, the only thought any traveler had was to board that ocean liner as soon as possible, find one’s cabin, and start exploring. If you were in New York City and arriving early, a nearby restaurant or cafe would be your best bet while passing time before boarding. Read more… 
Helsinki Central Library, by ALA Architects (2012-2018)
The world has experienced a limited number of open competitions over the past three decades, but even with diminishing numbers, some stand out among projects in their categories that can’t be ignored for the high quality and degree of creativity they revealed. Included among those are several invited competitions that were extraordinary in their efforts to explore new avenues of institutional and museum design. Some might ask why the Vietnam Memorial is not mentioned here. Only included in our list are competitions that were covered by us, beginning in 1990 with COMPETITIONS magazine to the present day. As for what category a project under construction (Science Island), might belong to or fundraising still in progress (San Jose’s Urban Confluence or the Cold War Memorial competition, Wisconsin), we would classify the former as “built” and wait and see what happens with the latter—keeping our fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Read More… 
2023 Teaching and Innovation Farm Lab Graduate Student Honor Award by USC (aerial view)
Architecture at Zero competitions, which focus on the theme, Design Competition for Decarbonization, Equity and Resilience in California, have been supported by numerous California utilities such as Southern California Edison, PG&E, SoCAl Gas, etc., who have recognized the need for better climate solutions in that state as well as globally. Until recently, most of these competitions were based on an ideas only format, with few expectations that any of the winning designs would actually be realized. The anticipated realization of the 2022 and 2023 competitions suggests that some clients are taking these ideas seriously enough to go ahead with realization. Read more… 
RUR model perspective – ©RUR
New Kaohsiung Port and Cruise Terminal, Taiwan (2011-2020)
Reiser+Umemoto RUR Architecture PC/ Jesse Reiser – U.S.A.
with
Fei & Cheng Associates/Philip T.C. Fei – R.O.C. (Tendener)
This was probably the last international open competition result that was built in Taiwan. A later competition for the Keelung Harbor Service Building Competition, won by Neil Denari of the U.S., the result of a shortlisting procedure, was not built. The fact that the project by RUR was eventually completed—the result of the RUR/Fei & Cheng’s winning entry there—certainly goes back to the collaborative role of those to firms in winning the 2008 Taipei Pop Music Center competition, a collaboration that should not be underestimated in setting the stage for this competition Read more… |
