Volta Hub
Photo _
Endover Kinnisvara
Industrial hybrid building on the centre of the Volta quarter - the restoration of a historic machine factory combined with an added contemporary building volume.
WHAT IF serves as lead designer on the Volta Hub project, responsible for coordinating the work of the entire design team, managing BIM collaboration, and translating the client’s business and spatial needs into a coherent and realistically buildable solution. The project’s distinguishing feature is the union of historic industrial heritage and modern new construction under one roof, bringing together apartments, commercial spaces, and the quarter’s anchor functions.
Scope
Approx. 9,200 m² of gross floor area — apartments and commercial spaces in the reconstructed building of the historic Volta machine factory at Mootori 2; construction began January 2025, completion autumn 2025.
Character
Reconstruction of historic industrial architecture – the restoration of the Volta machine factory building dating from 1899, with its dignified original limestone wall and authentic arched windows.
A dialogue between old and new – two modern additional floors in an industrial style have been added to the heart of the building, with black gridded window frames and ceilings up to 3.3 m high, tying the building into the architectural whole of Volta.
A multifunctional hybrid solution – residential apartments on the upper floors and the largest commercial and community center in North Tallinn on the ground floor, including a top-tier MyFitness sports club, restaurants, and cafés.
A human-centered living environment – floor-to-ceiling gridded windows, balconies and terraces with views of the Old Town, the sea, and the future Volta park area, a cooling system, a smart home solution, herringbone parquet flooring, and a designed foyer.
Challenges
The greatest challenge has been integrating the historic limestone building and the new construction into a technically, spatially, and visually unified whole – preserving the dignified original architecture while at the same time allowing the building to function as a contemporary A-energy-class residential and commercial environment. The volume of the new construction was raised above ground level, which created an intriguing atrium at the heart of the building and set heightened requirements for integrating structural, building-systems, and fire-safety solutions.
Functions with very different profiles had to be accommodated under one roof, residences, a sports club, food service, and retail, whose distinct technical requirements, logistics, and usage regimes had to mesh smoothly during both the design and construction phases. In addition, the building’s location in the rapidly developing Volta quarter had to be taken into account, as the design and construction work of other development phases was underway simultaneously.
Team
Endover ⎢ WHAT IF ⎢ Ars Projekt OÜ ⎢ DMT Inseneribüroo OÜ ⎢ Virtex OÜ ⎢ NSWE OÜ ⎢ TajuRuum OÜ ⎢ EXTech Design OÜ ⎢ Kajaja Acoustics OÜ ⎢ Rovalis OÜ ⎢ Andres Nuija