Linnahall
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Architect
Project team
Raine Karp, Riina Altmäe, Gunnar Nurmet
Interior design
Ülo Sirp, Mariann Hakk
Engineering
Ago Kuddu
Location
Kalasadama 4, 10415 Tallinn
Size
37,221 m2
Status
Completed 1980
Client
1980 Summer Olympics
Photos
Ott Alver, Kaido Haagen, Kadri Laar
Typology
Culture, Awarded, Historic, Landscape and Urban Planning, Public
Tags
It’s impossible to miss this massive, enigmatic building at the seaside, and it is almost equally impossible to resist the urge to climb up its stairs and get a magnificent view over the city and the sea.
Linnahall was among the structures erected for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the yachting regatta of which was held in Tallinn. Most of the seafront was a restricted area during the Soviet times, and a railway track broke up the plot as well. As a result, the building forms a bridge over the railway (now removed) and provides a highly desired connection between the city and the sea. This megastructure is the result of the Soviet Union imposing itself architecturally. It is highly unlikely that Estonia as a republic would have built something like this.
The architectural solution is highly original, stemming partly from the notoriously limited choice of building materials at the time. Although it might look like something inspired by the historic architecture of the South America, Raine Karp himself points towards the influence of the 17th and 19th Century fortifications around the old town of Tallinn.
Local limestone is used in both the exterior and interior. The most striking feature of the interior is the main hall, which seats 4,200 concertgoers and is in the form of an amphitheater that features completely removable walls to form a continuous space throughout the building overlooking the sea.
