What is this?

The Uus-Veerenni Intermediate Park is a plot of land owned by Merko, currently transitioning between uses and open for everyone to explore. Eventually, the area will be developed for residential use, but until then, the space will be open to everyone for leisure and pleasure instead of being left unused as a vacant lot or fenced-off construction site. Once construction starts, the potted trees and the park’s smaller furnishings will be relocated, and the Intermediate Park will continue to serve the same purpose in a new location, bridging the gap between two different life cycles in the most pleasant way imaginable.

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

How was the park created?

The park’s landscape design cleverly incorporates materials that could already be found on the site. The concrete floor of the former storage unit has been transformed into a square, the large cladding pieces have been repurposed to create a stepped wall, foundation blocks now serve as benches and concrete boulders stand in for natural ones. Other recycled materials have also been used in the design. In an environmentally responsible approach, residual products from concrete plants, originally to be crushed, have been repurposed as footpaths, sports field boundaries, table tennis tables, steps, grandstands and elements for the bike paths. Additionally, trees with unusual crowns or trunks have been planted in construction containers at the end of their life cycle.

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

What does the park offer?

The park provides opportunities for playing basketball, football or volleyball, climbing, practising cycling, trying out gardening, sunbathing, and hosting picnics, gatherings and birthday celebrations.

• Help us maintain the park.
• Dispose of packaging and rubbish in the bins provided.
• Don’t forget to use the brush and shovel.

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

Photographer: Siim Kingisepp

What is going on here?

Our world is filled with more artificial materials than we can make use of. Even if all mining or production of new materials was stopped, it would be possible to build everything we need with just these pre-existing materials. The more we recycle such materials, the smaller our ecological footprint and the cleaner our environment. Every little contribution has an effect at the local level, and when combined, these local efforts have far-reaching and transformative effects. The Uus-Veerenni Intermediate Park recycles the artificial materials accumulated at the site over the years, blends them with natural elements and incorporates new play and sports equipment as equally valuable resources. This fusion creates a multi-layered environment that has something for everyone. The park’s juxtaposition of the old and the new connects the past and the present, blending historical meanings with modern ones. This rich tapestry of materials softens the minimalism of the new elements while smoothing the rough edges of the old. The result is harmony.

Special thanks to KINO landscape architects and the Velvet team for their collaboration. Check out the homes still available in the Uus-Veerenni Quarter!