Territory of Between

Abstract

This thesis addresses the urgent issue of civilian safety in Tallinn, Estonia. Amidst increasing geopolitical instability along NATO's eastern border, questions of safety and resilience have become pressing architectural concerns. Estonia, sharing a long border with the Russian Federation, is especially exposed to potential security threats, yet remains insufficiently equipped with contemporary civilian defence infrastructure. At the same time, ethnic and social differences, and increasingly individualistic urban lifestyles are deepening social fragmentation within Tallinn's neighbourhoods. Current urban planning offers few high-quality community gathering places, particularly ones that function year-round. This weakens the neighbourly ties that are essential to resilient communities in times of crisis.

Architecture is positioned here as an active agent in addressing these intertwined challenges. The project first reconsiders the bunker itself, conventionally seen in cultural imagination as an anxious, defensive, unwelcoming space concerned only with physical protection. Drawing on phenomenological and neurological research into perceptions of safety, it investigates how underground infrastructure can cultivate both physical protection and psychological comfort, and how spaces of safety can in turn serve as cultural environments. The resulting proposal combines a public cultural community centre with a fully operational civilian defence shelter – redefining the bunker not as a dormant emergency facility, but as an active civic environment that supports everyday social life while remaining prepared for times of crisis.