Pelgulinna State gymnasium is the Best Wooden Building of the Year 2023

The Merko-built Tallinn Pelgulinna State gymnasium has won the main award and the popular favourite title at the best wooden building 2023 competition organized by the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association.

According to Kaja Pae, member of the jury panel and head of the Ministry of Climate’s construction and living environment department, this is the biggest public timber building in Estonia, and it has led to a large amount of experience and knowledge about the use of wood in architecture. “The completion of Pelgulinna State gymnasium is a milepost in Estonian architecture that can’t be ignored. How much we learn from the experience, the functioning of the building and its impact on the occupants, and what the footprint of the building on Estonia’s timber architecture landscape will be, time will tell, as will our future efforts on this front,” said Pae.

The jury said the biggest impression came from the architects’ resoluteness in using wood. They also hailed the complicated engineering solution and the cosy and hierarchy-free interior, which interweaves timber material in several different finishes and techniques.

Pelgulinna State gymnasium is one of the biggest timber buildings in Estonia, but in addition to its scale, it is also one of the gymnasiums with the best atmosphere in how it complements the urban space and in its interior. One of the most distinctive details is a glulam latticework on the facade, the porosity and layered look of which supports the human dimension in how the building fits in with its surroundings and moderates the large size of the school building. Besides the loading-bearing structures, wood is lavishly on display in the interior finishing – in the classrooms, the atrium with the checkerboard motif and the terraced levels designed for lounging.

A jury member, TalTech researcher and engineer Villu Kukk, said that this building had among most complicated load-bearing structures of any entry this year. “Besides the architects, we would also like to recognize engineer Jürgen Einpalu. It’s Estonia’s largest wooden building. I visited the site during construction and the well-thought out measures for prevention of moisture problems also should be mentioned.”

The architects of the best wooden building of the year are Ott Alver, Alvin Järving, Mari Rass, Kaire Koidu, Jõnn Sooniste, Katrin Vilberg, Lisett Eist, Karoliine Kuus (Arhitekt Must), the interior architects are Tarmo Piirmets and Anni Leo (PINK) and the landscape architects are Mirko Traks, Uku Mark Pärtel, Kristjan Talistu, Juhan Teppart, Karin Bachmann, Katariina Lepiku (Kino Maastikuarhitektid).

The building was commissioned by State Real Estate AS for the use of the Ministry of Education and Research and it was built by the Merko Ehitus Eesti team.