House of Nature

The building consists of three above-ground volumes connected by an underground floor for parking, auxiliary and storage rooms. The useful net area in the building is approx. 25,000 m2, the volume of outdoor areas is approx. 10,000 m2. The planned number of employees in the building is 600+.

The three above-ground building volumes are designed throughout in wooden structures. Each building experimentally tests different new construction types and spatial solutions of the modern working environment. The exposition area of the Estonian Museum of Natural History passes through all parts of the building on the lower level. The ground floor of the dock building is a local community accessible to the public with public access. The landscape architecture of the building connects Kalamaja Park and the seaside promenade.

The biggest challenge was obtaining a building permit from the Rescue Board for such a large wooden building, for which there were no prior references. An additional task was to functionally, in terms of spatial quality and safety, integrate diverse functions within a single building—namely, a public-facing Natural History Museum and office spaces for agencies under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Climate. We sought innovative and energy-efficient solutions to enhance this type of building complex. For the outdoor areas, we designed a comprehensive landscape solution consisting of four mini-parks in a high-profile, wind-exposed coastal area.

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