Construction specs
Merko’s professionalism and years of experience will ensure the construction quality of the development.
Building attributes
Energy rating
The energy efficiency of the Paekalda 23/1 and 23/2 buildings corresponds to an energy rating of A. Solar panels will be installed on the roofs of the buildings.
Building structures
The load-bearing structures of the buildings will rest on shallow reinforced concrete foundations. The building frameworks will be prefabricated, with the external walls being made from triple-layer reinforced concrete panels. The suspended ceilings will be made from hollow reinforced concrete panels featuring a layer of mineral wool and a concrete equalisation layer for sound dampening. The buildings will have a flat roof featuring roll roofing material.
Internal walls, stairwells & corridors
The internal walls between all apartments and between the apartments and stairwells will be made from 200-mm thick reinforced concrete panels. Bathroom walls and communication shafts will be made from lightweight blocks. The interior walls of the apartments will be plasterboard on a metal framework with mineral wool insulation. Walls designed for the fitting of kitchen furniture will be reinforced with an OSB board or plywood beneath the plasterboard. Both buildings will have a stairwell with a lift.
Apartment attributes
Balconies
The balconies will be constructed on prefabricated reinforced concrete slabs. The balcony railings will be made from glass in aluminium-profile frames, while the floor surface will be smooth concrete. Painted aluminium profiling will serve as the balconies’ ribbing. The railings will be constructed in such a way that it will be possible to have every balcony fully glassed in.
Doors & windows
The buildings will have single-frame plastic windows. They will be partially opening and triple-glazed. The exterior doors of the buildings will be metal-framed glass doors. The front doors of the apartments will feature oak veneer, while the door handles will come with a similar veneer. The internal doors will be of standard height and either come with a smooth timber-veneer finish or painted wood panelling, depending on the interior finishing package selected. The doors in the apartments on the 8th floors of the buildings will measure 2.3 metres.
Ceiling height
The ceilings in the apartments on the 2nd through 7th floors will measure 2.8 metres, except in the entryways and bathrooms, where they will measure 2.4 metres. Higher ceilings will feature in the apartments on the 8th floors of the buildings, standing at 3.0 metres.
Heating & ventilation
Heating & interior climate
The apartment buildings will feature district heating and have their own heating nodes. The apartments will boast convenient, energy-saving underfloor heating, with the heating pipe manifold cabinets being installed in a niche in the entryway wardrobe or in the laundry. Calculation of heating costs will be m2-based with no dedicated meters. The apartments will have autonomous heat-recovery air intake/exhaust ventilation systems to which the kitchen exhaust hood is also connected. Since the latter will function as part of an apartment’s overall ventilation system, the exhaust hood installed must not be motorised. The kitchen hood is turned on through the ventilation system. The ventilation system turns the kitchen hood on when you press the switch on the wall.
Air conditioning readiness
Readiness for the installation of air conditioning units will be provided in the living rooms in the apartments on the 7th and 8th floors as well as in one bedroom of all apartments three or more rooms in size. Readiness means that the pipes and cabling running from the planned location(s) of the air conditioning unit(s) in the apartments to the planned exterior sections on the roof will be provided.
Water & electricity
Water & sewerage
The buildings will be connected to Tallinn’s water supply and sewerage system. Domestic hot water will be produced on site in the buildings’ own heating nodes. Water meters will be read remotely. Readings will be taken automatically and forwarded to the building manager’s database.
Electricity & weak-current systems
The electricity meters for the apartments will be located in the distribution boards in the stairwells. Each apartment’s own switchboard will have fuses and a weak-current section. Electricity meters will be read remotely. The apartments will be fitted with power points and light switches, as well as lights in sanitary rooms and the entryway. An optical cable for Internet and television will be installed up to the switchboard in each apartment. Cables meeting the requirements of the CAT 6 standard (i.e. enabling super-fast data communications) will be used in the apartments. A modular telephone and/or Internet socket will be installed in every room. An intercom system will be installed in the apartments’ entryways.
Other features
Courtyard area
The buildings will also have their own children’s playground and relaxation areas with benches. The playground will feature rubber safety matting, while the sandbox will be enclosed with timber. Cyclists will have the use of dedicated storage areas for bikes. The courtyards, which were designed by landscape architect Piret Kümmel, will be colourful and diverse, blending in seamlessly with the other structures and features of the spaces between buildings. The courtyard areas will feature a variety of trees and flowering plants, including apple, rowan, cherry, bird-cherry, mock orange, ninebark, cinquefoil and leather flower.
Accessibility
The entrances to the buildings will be level with the ground surface. In stairwells opening onto ground level there will be direct access to the lift, ensuring that residents and visitors with accessibility issues can also make convenient use of the buildings. Vertical planning will guarantee step-free access from the buildings to the parking areas, the courtyard recreation spaces and the public footpath on Paekalda Street.