Volta Cultural Center

Abstract

This project covers the revitalization of the former Volta Factory in Tallinn Estonia. This abandoned site or sleeping beauty holds lots of opportunity on many different local layers of the Kalamaja. Social, cultural, urban and many more detailed aspects are taken into account to create a Cultural Center with high quality leisure spaces for all kinds of activities. Walls are well over a meter thick and ten meters high. Two seventy meters long halls make up for a barrier that will be opened up in a Gordon Matta Clark fashion. Preserving the partition wall inside and connecting the two halls as well as the newly developed neighborhood and Plaza on one side and the waste land that will be turned into a community and botanical garden on the other side. The partition wall serves as a divider that pushes the users into a particular direction with the the help of a multifunctional circulation area. These areas are referred to as stress, passages and boulevards that form the infrastructure of the small city inside the building. One side houses sports and library program in combination with offices, study spaces and a restaurant. The other side will house a multifunctional event hall that looks out over the main street and the Bay of Tallinn. This part also houses a boxed-in theater and lounges. Both halls have been studied thoroughly and functions have been placed accordingly. The beauty of the repetitive limestone facade with its beautiful arched windows is preserved on both the inside and outside. Subtle interventions and detailing have made the building more future proof and accessible on many layers in the local and urban landscape.