Cornerstone laid at Arter quarter
Today, the cornerstone was laid for the Arter Quarter, which Kapitel is developing on the corner of Liivalaia and Juhkentali streets, with a total investment of 150 million euros. Despite the challenges on the construction market, one of the largest construction projects in Estonia remains on schedule and will be completed in the third quarter of 2024 as planned.
According to Kapitel’s CEO Taavi Ojala, this is the company’s largest development project, the construction of which has fallen on a time full of challenges, but the concept of the project remains firm. “The growing health demands of recent years have come to stay, and companies increasingly consider people their greatest asset. The Arter development considers companies that value their employees. Arter also values urban space – along with buildings of high-quality architecture, a new town square and park that will be open to the public will be built here along the former Härjapea riverbed,” Ojala added.
“Arter is a new landmark and a people-centred urban space in the heart of Tallinn. A new meeting place for generating bold and creative ideas, it will shape the jobs of the future,” Arter’s Project Director Allan Remmelkoor explained the core idea for the new quarter. “The well-being of employees is the most important thing for our partners today, and we are creating the best working environment here in Arter. Health, time savings and a good social space or ecosystem are our focus, and there is serious interest in the values of the Arter project,” added Remmelkoor.
The office space in the Arter Quarter will have better than standard ventilation, and also air humidification, which is rare in Estonian office buildings. The offices will have first-class indoor climate, the free height of the floors is at least three metres, and some of the offices have a full-height glass facade. Raised floors provide flexibility that facilitates changing the layout and location of workplaces. In addition, companies can use various meeting rooms for work and creativity, as well as the courtyards – a town square in front of the buildings of the quarter, a 500 sq m urban garden on the roof terrace of the 15-storey office building, and a public park behind the buildings.
“The Arter Quarter is one of the most demanding projects in Estonia in terms of both volume and special features. Together with world-class technical systems, the complex has state-of-the-art office space and apartments, sports and leisure facilities. There are turbulent times in the construction market. Only excellent cooperation between the customer, the builder and all other parties, which has lasted for almost a year and a half, will lead to success,” said Ivo Volkov, CEO of Merko Ehitus Eesti.
“The increasingly popular 15-Minute City concept applies to Arter, and what’s more, we can talk about a-few-minutes city in terms of the services consumed during the working day. Thanks to this, the people working in Arter will save nearly three hours of valuable time every week,” said Remmelkoor. In addition to cafes and restaurants, the facilities include a sports club with a 20 m swimming pool, relaxation pools, saunas and an outdoor terrace, as well as health and beauty services and child care.
The Arter Quarter consists of a 28-, 15- and 9-storey building and a connecting central building with a parking garage. The quarter, with a total rental area of 38,000 sq m, will have 29,000 sq m of high-quality office space, 6,000 sq m of various catering and service premises, including a rooftop restaurant on the 28th floor, and 3,000 sq m of rental apartments. The near-zero energy buildings with environmentally friendly energy solutions are designed and built according to the BREEAM Excellent standard. Energy piles and district cooling are used to cover the cooling and heating needs of the buildings. The architect of the quarter is Martin Aunin and the interior architect is Arhitekt11. The general contractor of the construction is Merko Ehitus Eesti.
The quarter will have a total of 470 parking spaces, a car wash, the largest indoor bicycle parking area in Estonia for 90 bicycles, a bicycle wash and repair area, and changing and shower rooms. The entire project will be completed in the third quarter of 2024, including the new Veski Street and the renovated section of Imanta Street, which will ensure safe and peaceful traffic around the quarter.
