In Tallinn, Estonia, large-scale redevelopment of former industrial and residential areas is currently underway. In this process, the city’s historical layers are often overlooked, particularly the architectural heritage from the Soviet era. This graduation project explores how a neglected 1937 rahvamaja (culture house) in the Kopli-Liniid district can be reintegrated into Tallinn’s urban and cultural fabric. Once a hub of workers’ culture, the building has stood abandoned since Estonia’s independence in 1991 and now faces the threat of insensitive redevelopment.

This graduation project proposes to revalue Kopli 93 and its surroundings as a small-scale cultural park ensemble where past and future meet. By removing fences, introducing new pedestrian routes and demolishing later additions, the area becomes accessible again and reconnects to the surrounding neighborhoods. Alongside the restoration of the existing Kopli 93, which will regain its theatre, sports and community functions: a new music building is introduced. This transparent wooden volume acts as a mediator between the historic complex, the park, and the new residential area.

The program centers on music, theatre, and self-expression: a contemporary interpretation of the original social purpose. Music, a vital element of Estonian identity and collective memory (from Laulupidu to the Singing Revolution), forms the conceptual backbone of the project. Architecturally, the music building continues Tallinn’s wooden construction tradition and park architecture in glass and steel. Its structure consists of four CLT cores with glulam beams and a cantilevered top floor. Transparency, natural materials, and flexible interior layouts encourage dialogue between nature, heritage and contemporary culture.

Thus, Kopli 93 and its plot is transformed into a public, living, and meaningful part of the city, where cultural heritage becomes not an obstacle, but a catalyst for urban renewal.