Reconstruction of the Viljandi Music School

In early 2016, a construction contract was concluded between the Viljandi City Government and YIT Construction, whereby the historical building housing the Viljandi Music School will be fully renovated. The construction started in early February and the music school will move into the renovated building in April of 2017.

The school building, which was initially constructed as a residence, was completed in 1895, and the most recent renovations date back to 1968-1970. 

The exterior façade of red ceramic bricks are being repaired; the windows and doors are being replaced; and a new tiled roof installed. Among the culturally valuable construction details that will be preserved and renovated include the decorations on the ceramic tile façade, the round attic window with a triangular upper portion, the exterior stairs made of granite blocks, the fieldstone wall and brick perimeter wall, exterior balcony with console, vaulted ceilings in the basement and some of the mirrored vaulted ceilings throughout the house.

The entire interior of the schoolhouse will be updated – a new staircase with elevator shaft will be installed, rooms will be built in the attic, the building’s communications will be dismantled and new ones installed that meet current standards and requirements. Special attention in the music school will be paid to acoustics and sound insulation. All the instrument groups and different fields of study will get their own rooms that conform to the necessary acoustical standards – so “no one will not disturb anyone else”. 

According to Viljandi Mayor Ando Kiviberg, the Viljandi Music School is one of the best in Estonia, and it will now get study space that corresponds to its level of quality.

From a construction point of view, this is quite a complicated project, since during the design phase, not all the structural elements were visible. In the course of the demolition work, the builder was forced to redesign the ceiling between the first and second storeys since the original design would not provide the building with sufficient rigidity. The demolition of the ceilings was also complicated because there was the risk of collapse. In order to prevent this, the builder had to demolish the ceilings and cast the new ones in concrete in sections, thereby ensuring sufficient rigidity for the building and load-bearing capacity for the walls.

A new wing, the so-called “Concert Hall”, is attached to the building and this was used by the Music Academy throughout the construction period, which further complicated the organisation of the construction work.

The Promenaadi House at Poordi 3 and 5

The Promenaadi House is the first apartment building in Tallinn’s renovated port district and will be completed in the summer of 2017.

The Promenaadi House is located at Poordi 3 and Poordi 5, i.e., between Mere Blvd. and the Admiraliteedi Pool.

The underground section of the Promenaadi House is combined, but the above-ground portion is divided into three building units, with different appearances and functionalities.

The common courtyard of the community house supports a communal lifestyle and the Family House, as the name suggests, takes the needs of families into consideration.  For example, it has large apartments and a separate playground. The Family House forms a single ensemble with the Family House Tower, an apartment house with only one apartment on each storey.

The building is of the finest architectural and structural quality, and is the first apartment building in Estonia where geothermal heating will be used in addition to district heating. The projected savings on heating costs provided by this solution should be 25-30%. The heat generated by the building’s cooling system, which is usually discharged into the air, will also be utilised. The apartments have achieved an A energy rating by employing these solutions. 

Design and construction work for the reconstruction and restoration of the Pärnu Vanalinna School.

The Pärnu Girls Secondary School building, which was completed in 1912, is the largest schoolhouse in Pärnu built before World War I that has survived intact. The E-shaped brick building has two full storeys, a basement and attic. Red brick elements alternate with architectural details on the plastered wall surfaces of the building’s façades. The initial appearance of the building has survived, as well as most of the floor plan and the utilisation of space.

Since the building is under heritage protection, the relevant regulations have to be taken into consideration. The school gymnasium, which was used as the location for the popular film The Fencer, is also situated on the lot. An old gunpowder cellar is located under the gym and will also be renovated.

Lunden Food OÜ production plant, Loo, Harju County

In July 2016, Ülo Rekkaro and Hannu Tapio Lundén, board members of Lunden Eesti Kinnisvara OÜ, and Toomas Rapp, a board member of AS YIT Ehitus, signed a contract for the construction of the Lunden OÜ production plant. In late July, the expansion of the plant was started and the completed project will be handed over to the client at the end of March 2017.

This is an expansion of a plant located in Loo, Harju County, where production will be continuing throughout the construction period. Delivery of the products will be conducted from the end of the building to which the addition is being added.
This Finnish company deals with food production and its largest clients are Statoil and Finnair. More information about the company’s activities is available on their website at http://www.jalostaja.fi/

Design and construction work for the reconstruction of the Seljametsa Kindergarten

The Seljametsa Kindergarten and Elementary School building in Paikuse Rural Municipality was first occupied in 1890. The L-shaped building has a gable roof; two full storeys in the main building, and one storey and an attic in the annex.

The objective of the design and construction project is to reconstruct the Seljametsa Kindergarten into an energy-efficient building, in which the 726 m2 are divided into modern rooms that can accommodate the work of three kindergarten groups.

The stairs, ramp, children’s playgrounds, parking lot and all the paved areas will be rebuilt and the landscaping spruced up. A new sewage system will be installed, and the water pipes and low voltage and communication cables will be reconstructed. 

Work on the kindergarten will be completed in August 2017. 

The reconstruction of the Sõleke kindergarten in Võru. 

The building located at Olevi St. 29, in Võru was put into use as a kindergarten in 1984, and the goal now is to achieve as energy efficient and well functioning solution as possible, considering the construction and U-shape of the building. Significant reconstruction will be carried out, including demolition work, general construction and finishing work, in the existing building and an addition. 

New utility systems will be installed in the building and on the property, interior and exterior furnishing will be installed and maintenance work carried out on the lot. After the work is completed, group rooms, a hall, teachers’ rooms, offices for the instructors and director, rooms for the speech therapist and special education teachers, as well as other functional auxiliary rooms will be located on the first floor. Separately entryways are designed for the group rooms, where there are places for cleaning footwear, and storing toys and outdoor equipment. The kitchen section with tables and auxiliary rooms will also be located on the first floor and have a separate entrance on the north side of the building. There will be group rooms and classrooms on the second floor. The basement level of the building will be comprised of storerooms that will be used to store equipment, costumes, seasonal materials and the buildings’ general items. The utility rooms, with the water and heating units and ventilation equipment, will also be located in the basement. A sauna is also planned for the basement.

Outdoors, there are plans for a road and parking area of paving stones, as well as cycling and pedestrian paths made of paving stones in the vicinity of the building and playground, as well as landscaped areas and sandboxes. A parking place is also planned for a 25+1 wheelchair accessible vehicle. The total enclosed space is 3,615.1 m2. And the construction will be completed in the spring of 2017.