A project that makes you think:
does our next development create space, or does it create meaning?
The Future City Cannot Exist Without Health Space – Ülemiste City Health Centre von Baer
Ülemiste City Health House II is a modern health building where top-tier medical care, smart architecture, and lush urban landscape converge.
What can be learned from Ülemiste Health Centre?
- The courage to invest in environment and community
- No separate parts—architecture, landscape, and technical systems work in one rhythm
- Collaboration with top experts from different fields creates extraordinary results
But let’s talk about everything in more detail…
01
Health as the heart of the campus
Mainor Ülemiste’s goal is to create an environment where talent finds it good to live and work. This is precisely why the 3×3 health model, created in collaboration with the University of Tartu, became the foundation of this development.
Health Centre II embodies this model physically: it is a space that supports mental, physical, and social well-being. It does not merely heal but creates the conditions to stay healthy in the first place.
02
Architecture that doesn’t overdo it – just does it right
Apex Architecture Bureau’s solution is like a conscious answer to the question:
“How do we create a building where people feel cared for and valued?”
Inspired by the discoveries of Karl Ernst von Baer, the architectural language draws inspiration from curved, embryo-like forms. This core concept is amplified by a spacious atrium featuring a streamlined, curving open staircase; abundant natural light and carefully considered material choices create a space where the patient does not feel like a mere part of a mechanism.
To create something truly special—something that leaves future visitors in awe—one must begin thinking about it as early as the foundation design stage. For example, in the case of this building, the tree to be planted in the atrium was accounted for at an early stage: a separate large recess was integrated into the foundation design to allow the tree’s roots to develop in natural growing conditions. Specialists were involved early in the process to assess the necessary scope and depth of the space required.
Similar challenges also emerge regarding the specific demands of various tenants. For instance, designing the space required for an MRI device necessitates very precise instructions and technical conditions: it is essentially a concrete box within a concrete box. The logistics of bringing the equipment into the building also had to be considered—specifically door widths, floor load-bearing capacities, and transport routes. All such special solutions had to be designed in a way that preserved the building’s architectural integrity and aligned with the interior design concept.
This is one of the first buildings in Tallinn to utilize district cooling, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions and eliminating the need for noisy cooling units on the façade. Energy efficiency and environmental sustainability have been central to the project.
Indeed, one of the most complex aspects of the project was ensuring that complex technical systems and functional special solutions (such as the MRI or district cooling) did not clash with the architects’ aesthetic vision. WHAT IF’s role here was to translate the needs of different disciplines into built form; this is exactly how the balance between beauty and engineering was born.
03
Green space that’s not an afterthought
The nearly two-hectare park designed by TajuRuum is not a “soft addition” to the project, but a structural part of it. The green area, with its seating, health trails, and diverse landscaping, creates breaks in the workday that help people truly rest. An urban environment that offers not just infrastructure, but recovery. This is the direction in which smart city planning is moving.
An urban environment that offers not just infrastructure, but also recovery—this is the direction smart city planning is moving toward.
04
Everything depends on people and collaboration
Behind the project’s success stands a group of top experts. In addition to Apex Architecture Bureau and TajuRuum, contributors included Studio Argus, Infragate, Heatconsult, Viavelo, Fireplan, Kajaja Acoustics, Rausi, and PNL & IC Project Management.
WHAT IF managed the compilation of the entire construction project from the preliminary sketch to the final design, ensuring a smooth and high-quality process.
05
Not just a building, but the campus nerve center
The building houses Tartu University Hospital, Tallinn Specialist Medical Centre, Benu Pharmacy, Ülemiste Eye Centre, Reio Vilipuu Rehabilitation Clinic, and several others. This is a space that offers support to every user of the campus whether the issue is physical, mental or both.
06
Why this matters beyond building walls
Health Centre 2 is an example of how holistic space creation is not just functional, but strategic. Serving as urban space, an employer’s tool, and a community hub.
