We created a public park area of over 8,500 square metres in the Uus-Veerenni quarter. The new area boasts playgrounds, sculptures that animate the urban space, a resting area and a reading corner. Enhancing the urban space of Tallinn, the park values biodiversity and the principle of reuse and welcomes everyone from Uus-Veerenni residents to visitors to come and enjoy what it has to offer.

“We use a holistic approach when creating living environments. In addition to providing professional architectural solutions and high-quality construction, we at Merko place great value on the quality of the living environment outside the buildings and the opportunities that the quarter offers its residents. With the Uus-Veerenni park, our goal was to create a comprehensive and diverse urban space for the community that offered activities for people of different ages. The completed park area is a combination of smart, sustainable solutions, playgrounds and recreation areas, as well as art and an outdoor library inspired by the recently concluded Year of Libraries,” explains the Uus-Veerenni quarter Development Manager Alar Toomik.

The park was designed by KINO Maastikuarhitektid. In 2020, the same landscape architecture firm received the annual award of the Association of Landscape Architects for their solution for the inner courtyard of the first stage of Uus-Veerenni residential buildings.

“The idea of the Uus-Veerenni park is based on sustainability and reuse. Our goal was to value on-site material, which resulted in a resourceful reuse of the former industrial strata, including the asphalt and concrete, as well as metal structures. This park is most likely one of the first examples in Estonian landscape architecture where such a large amount of waste has been displayed to find a new purpose,” landscape architect Mirko Traks describes how the park was born.

While the planting and reuse solutions are more visible in spring, there are various leisure activities that the Uus-Veerenni park offers throughout the year. Children can have fun on the playgrounds, while adults can relax and enjoy the fresh air. To animate the urban space, the park has been adorned with animal heads from the sculpture project Toys by Jass Kaselaan.

The park also boasts a reading corner with bookcases, benches and reading lamps, and an enthralling selection of literature for both adults and children. The reading corner was inspired by the recently concluded Year of Libraries. Reading is not strictly an indoor activity – the company of a good book can just as well sharpen your mind in the open air, regardless of the season. In addition to your favourite books, it is worth exploring what your neighbour might recommend.

The principle of using the community library is simple: Take, read, return, and bring a new title! That means that you can either read on the spot or take the book home to return it later. You are also welcome to add new books to the library, titles you have already had the pleasure of reading yourself and would now like to share with your neighbours.

Photos: Siim Kingisepp

The reading corner was inaugurated by Jaan Aru, a neuroscientist and associate professor of the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Tartu, on Estonian Literature Day, which was introduced this year and marks the birth of Estonian author A.H. Tammsaare. Aru is also the author of several popular science books. The bookcase located at the Uus-Veerenni park now has Aru’s book Loovusest ja Lugemisest, a reading recommendation he wanted to share, and works by A. H. Tammsaare.

Together with Jaan Aru, we are also launching a new video series titled Uus-Veerenni Reading Stories, which follows well-known Estonians as they share their reading recommendations as authors or diligent readers.

Why is reading good for our brain? Which book by an Estonian author should everyone pick up at least once in their life? Watch the video to find out!