Competitions

Tallinn Architecture Biennale Vision Competition Street 2020

01.07.2011

Tallinn Architecture Biennale is a new architecture forum that brings together theory and practice, young and experienced architects in order to arouse rich discussion over architecture, urban planning and landscape issues. First TAB concentrates on the hybrid issue of Landscape Urbanism. TAB Vision competition is addressed to students and young architects, landscape architects and planners who are welcome to shape future cities and make room for fresh ideas.

Our hope is to see landscape urbanism as so-called ’third way’, which can possibly solve urban problems that have proved too difficult for traditional planning because of rapid processes, constant change and instability. Landscape urbanism could also provide answers how to guide urban processes from inside, so that the system as a whole still maintains a balance. The term ’landscape’ is used primarily as the model for consistency, responsiveness and scale.

TAB is organized by Estonian Architecture Centre and City of Tallinn

BACKGROUND

What kind of urban space Tallinn needs?

— high-quality
— functioning
— inspiring
— human 
these should add up to a livable city

WHERE TO START?

— redefining the content and form of open public space – street, square, park
— inventing new hybrid spaces that evoke unpredictable, creative uses
— redefining urban vegetation: find balance between ecological and spatial/emotional/cultural functions
— making the streets accessible for all people: to differ the amount and means of movement, to create and experiment new rules (shared space and analogues)

CASE STUDY: PÕHJAVÄIL

Background
The car-boom of the nineties has turned Tallinn’s streets predominantly into traffic corridors where the movement of pedestrians and cyclists is of secondary importance. A characteristic example is the fact that the city does not have any quality standards for the pavement of the streets. Although the city has built a number of cycle routes, the natural blending of light and heavy traffic is still underdeveloped. A well-functioning city should have a coherent network-like structure.

Vision Competition’s task is to describe the connected, compatible and diverse urban landscape, focusing on one particular urban typology: the street.

Description of the track route
— street: max 60m width / 2+2 lanes, public transportation (tram), harbour transport (heavy vehicles)
— connection: Lasnamäe, Pirita, Viimsi (150 000 persons per day) → city
— type: sea/street/city
— crossings: promenade ←→ housing area