Kapitel plans a year-round outdoor swimming pool complex next to Linnahall in Tallinn
Kapitel organised an open-call architectural competition to find the best architectural solution for planning buildings on Kalasadama properties, along with a promenade. The architectural competition received 13 entries and was won by the Arhitekt Must with the entry “Fishermans Wharf“. In cooperation with the Finnish company Nordic Urban, Kapitel will open an outdoor swimming complex, a restaurant, a marina and a market on the seaside plot.
Kapitel orgnised an open-call architectural competition to find the best architectural solution for planning buildings on 5, 5a, 7, 7a and 7b Kalasadama Street, along with a promenade in Tallinn. The development project covers a total area of 7,500 square metres, including about 5,000 square metres of buildings. A total of 13 entries took part in the architectural competition, which was won by Arhitekt Must’s “Fishermans Wharf”. Additional tree entries – AB Molumba’s “Kalala”, Sirkel & Mall’s “Kalavõrk” and AB Dagopen’s “Vaade” – were awarded.
The Kalasadama area is transforming into a human-centric urban space, with the introduction of a new tram line also improving public transport access. The city of Tallinn is crafting a new vision for the waterfront area surrounding Linnahall, as part of which Kalasadama Street will be relocated, creating more room for pedestrian traffic and landscaping while diverting vehicular traffic away from the waterfront.
“The jury attached great importance to the question of how the architectural concept supports and creates a sensory experience for the visitor to the complex. The winning entry has achieved a well-conceived image, through a sense of place and interpretation, which is evocative and distinctive landmark, yet warm, simple and inviting to the user,” Mr. Hanno Grossschmidt, chairman of the architectural competition jury.
Arhitekt Must architect Mr. Alvin Järving: “We based our work on the history of the fishing harbour and tried to emphasise and enhance its special atmosphere. The design of the fish market and the harbour is inspired by historical fishing harbours, where the higher quays were for larger vessels and the lower ones for small fishing boats. The spatial play created around the different heights of the quays also became the basis for the solution, where the promenade, the pool complex and the restaurant terraces merge into a coherent public space, above which the harbour building with its recognisable silhouette is enthroned.”
„We have taken Helsinki as an example, where the seaside area is very well integrated with the urban space and given different functions. We are delighted to create a new sports and leisure centre, attractive to locals and tourists, and contribute to the development of the public urban space. In addition to the buildings, we will create a new 200-metre illuminated, landscaped and furnished promenade, which will be which will be available for everyone. Additionally, we plan to revamp the Kalasadama quay and its surroundings,“ said Mr. Martin Rebane, Development Director of Kapitel and member of the architectural competition jury.
The year-round outdoor pool complex will be operated by Nordic Urban, a Finnish company that runs a similar centre in Helsinki, Allas Sea Pool. The centre will include heated outdoor pools, various saunas, a restaurant, flexible event spaces and outdoor terraces. “Our strategy is to develop an international network of Allas Pools. The project in Tallinn is an important step in this direction,” said Mr. Petteri Lautso, Development Director at Nordic Urban and member of the architectural competition jury.