UNESCO heritage Port of Tallinn development plans
The Port of Tallinn is being redeveloped to connect with the medieval city and its public spaces and Zaha Hadid Architects has won the competition launched last year, for ideas for the development Masterplan 2030.
Tallinn is one of the fastest growing ports in Europe, due to its success as a growing hub for cruise ship and ferry passengers as well as cargo. The masterplan consolidates and improves all the vital activities of the port while also offering land for civic use and development.
As one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe, Tallinn's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the Estonian capital is a global leader in advanced digital information technology.
The plan aims to preserve the city's vistas to historic landmarks and its views to the sea, while providing for a rich combination of uses - including culture, entertainment, shopping and hotels - to serve Tallinn’s residents and its growing number of annual visitors - around 5 million this year. The new pedestrian quayside incorporates terraces served directly by cafés and restaurants.
Ginaluca Racana, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects said, “We’re honoured to work with the Port of Tallinn, developing unique solutions to create these important connections for the Old City Harbour’s long-term vision. Supported by its network of new pedestrian routes and public transport links, the masterplan reinvents a familiar space in Tallinn and reconnects the city with its harbour, enabling residents to reclaim a part of the city that is currently difficult to access and designed only for transit.”
The Port of Tallinn and Zaha Hadid Architects aim to complete the masterplan for the Old City Harbour by the end of 2017.