Tartu culture centre
3rd year project
2021
Tartu, Estonia
Collaborators: Uku Julian Tarvas
Modular timber architecture that extends the park it’s built into
The project is a cultural centre in Tartu, Estonia. It consists of a library, concert halls, art museum and rental spaces. The modular timber buildings are situated in a park and our concept was to disrupt the functions of it as little as possible. To achieve that, we made the roofs green and sloped, sliding the indoor structures under the corners of the existing park, which was left as is in the middle. The old park in the middle will serve as a forest type area connecting all of our buildings. Most of the trees on the perimeter of the park have been left untouched. The roofs are walkable and also serve as entrances to the 2nd and 3rd floor.
the park is draped over the structures forming a hilly landscape that is common to Southern Estonia, it also gives an extra dimension to the experience of the park. Terraces form on the slopes of the roofs of the buildings where visitors can relax and have a view over the whole landscape of the cultural centre and the main pathways meander through the wilder forest-like areas of the park, low down in the valley between the hills.
The building’s modular design consists of multiple triangular elements with the intent to avoid the shipping container aesthetic that has become common with modular buildings. These triangular elements form mushroomlike modules that can be stacked on top of or beside each other. These modules allowed us to construct all of the different functions needed in the cultural centre, from art galleries and large concert halls to office spaces and reading rooms in the library. The triangular form also allows the building of nature inspired sloping freeform surfaces whilst still remaining in the modular grid based system. This means that the building can blend seamlessly into nature while still being distinct and having its own identity.
