Tallinn residents were promised a new commercial landmark on the most prominent site in their harbour in the form of a new retail shopping mall: The Porto Franco Development. But after years of delay, the city and its people are left with a colossal concrete structure, blocking
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Tallinn residents were promised a new commercial landmark on the most prominent site in their harbour in the form of a new retail shopping mall: The Porto Franco Development. But after years of delay, the city and its people are left with a colossal concrete structure, blocking direct viewing lines and impairing orientation within the harbour area. In response, the original concept of a retail shopping mall was radically reimagined: its architectural typology and characteristics were repurposed into a public mediatheque where instead of consumer goods, users now browse, test, and process information. A building that revitalizes the connection between the Harbour and the City centre of Tallinn and helps to cherish the arrival at the harbour of this Baltic capital.