"The Impulse" is a project of a model housing estate in Tallinn made by Alicja Maculewicz and Emilia Dziagelewska, students of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Arts in Poznan.
The concept of the housing estate created on the site of an unused freight station, made for the Vision Competition, was exhibited at the 2019 Tallinn Architecture Biennale. Before starting their design work, the students held a three-day site visit in Estonia. Their proposal refers to distinctive elements of the area: settlements of wooden houses - Pelgullin to the south and Kalamaja to the north - and a large Volta factory.
A hiking trail runs along the entire settlement
© Alicja Maculewicz, Emilia Dzięgelewska
The students' idea is a model settlement, whose residents work together to create a new neighborhood, using prefabricated wooden elements in its construction. The post-railroad space of the plot was divided transversely by the students with the extension of the streets running from the Kalamaja district, which will connect to Pelgullin in the future. In order to commemorate the history of the site - a freight train station - the authors preserved a historic railroad turntable. They also created a walking trail of industrial monuments, which begins at the revitalized factory, continues past the brick water tower, and ends at the renovated Volta factory.
© Alicja Maculewicz, Emilia Dzięgelewska
The projected area includes large halls of truss construction, housing laboratories, design offices and workplaces related to the development of the estate. Underground parking lots have been placed beneath them, with platforms next to them for streetcar and train lines. The platforms are the bases for the prefabricated cottages, which relate in form to traditional Estonian housing. The houses, thanks to their green roofs, allow residents to cultivate gardens and communal orchards. Two towers are the visual dominant - one, made of prefabricated wooden elements, marks the entrance to the estate and begins the hiking trail. The other, made of steel, is a vantage point and part of an underground technical museum.
The historic turntable reminds us of the history of the place
© Alicja Maculewicz, Emilia Dzięgelewska
According to the authors, the goal of the Tallinn model estate is to discover the identity of the place and make it a brand synonymous with the slogan "live and create your surroundings."
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illustrations courtesy of Alicja Maculewicz and Emilia Dziagelewska
