Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre

The architectural proposal for the Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre has been conceived as an ‘ensemble’ of programmatic volumes, sensibly located in the park, respecting the existing trees and the memories of the site, creating a space at human scale for urban gathering and expression.

The different programmes of the proposal: Library, Art Museum, Events space, Art cinema, Workspaces and Eateries, have been distributed in five volumes that intersect and overlap as they rise in the heart of the park. These volumes will have a unique material expression while they will be aesthetically integrated as a compound by a common design language inspired by the verticality and density of the trees existing in the park – branching up to reach the sun and with solid roots on the ground- metaphorically reflecting the significant tradition and knowledge present in Tartu. This idea gives the name to the proposal: ‘Trees of knowledge’.

Each volume starts with a discreet footprint to minimize the impact on the park surface and increase its area above, connecting the different volumes’ users and functions across floors. The area taken by the volumes at ground is returned to the users as green roof terraces for the enjoyment and observation of the city.

The synergy of these components is architecturally represented by a semi covered colonnade, generated by the vertical facade components converging into one central space that serves as access and distribution point for all the functions. This main access hall will be a transparent space where the different seasons can be fully appreciated from an indoor condition.

Work has been created by our architects together with Zaha Hadid Architects team and landscape architects from Lootusprojekt.