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EESTI ELU reedel, 22. juulil 2022 — Friday, July 22, 2022
Nr. 29
Sizing up Estonian dream homes Vincent Teetsov
English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Ukraine – what if we lose interest? Ukraine is desperately fight ing for its survival, being outgunned ten to one on the battlefield. Has war fatigue set in among its beleaguered soldiers and civilians? No. Ukrainians should be utterly exhausted with the war. But their defiance hasn’t morphed into resignation while under relentless, deadly Russian attacks. However, the symptoms of resignation, detachment and powerlessness are clearly evi dent in the West, where we’ve witnessed the slaughter of Ukrainians and the destruction of their country from the safety of our living rooms. Com passion fatigue has set in. It’s most evident with TV news, in front page newspaper headlines, in the number of social postings, that the media in the West has lost its earlier, urgent focus. Crucial stories from journal ists on the front line in Ukraine have been replaced with accounts of Westerners unable to cope with the soaring cost of living – record highs in fuel and food. These are perceived as priorities for consumers worldwide. It’s easy to exaggerate the global drop in attention to the devastation of Ukraine. But Ukraine’s determined resistance of the Russian invasion has lasted so long, stories of Russian atrocities and war crimes have been so frequent that deliberate acts of barbarism have come and gone from the news of the day. The war has turned into a complex quagmire. In the West, the outrage and defiance that once were so acute seem to have subsided into submission. The angry mass protests have waned. The spontaneous display of solidarity with Ukraine has been muted. Social media output has slowed. The heart rending accounts of desperate women and children seeking a safe haven rarely appear. Ukrainians must not only beat an overwhelming on slaught on the battlefield, but also fight the increasing com placency of Westerners. Obser vers have concluded that the
average Westerner is becoming weary of the necessity of con tinuing the war. And this is where the danger lies. The dominating narrative at the start of the invasion was the failure of Putin to assess the steadfastness of Ukrainians to repel his troops. On the eve of the attack, he foresaw a vic torious Russian blitzkrieg, abet ted by an emotional capitulation by Ukrainians and the West vacillating in disunity. Instead, the West was shaken out of any complacency by Ukraine’s single-minded deter mination to repel any onslaught. NATO and the EU quickly mustered political support and action, if not in complete uni son, but enough for the Kremlin to suffer its worst nightmare – the expansion of the Alliance to include Sweden and Finland. It seems the West agrees that the war will be a lengthy, pro tracted battle of attrition, with no clear denouement in sight. This works to benefit Putin who’s relying on the West to lose focus, which in itself undermines the West’s conti nued willingness to aid Ukraine. The sanctions announced by the West in the early weeks of the war were packaged with naïve confidence that Russian aggression will be repelled, if not militarily, then surely eco nomically. These claims were stated not only by politicians but also by financial experts and media pundits, albeit with the caveat that they will take time. To date, in spite of the sanctions, Russia is ramping up its killing machine. Putin is counting on Western tolerance for a protracted con frontation being low and antici pating the West to de-escalate. He wants the conflict to vanish from NATO’s political radar. The proposals of territorial concessions as an incentive for Moscow to end the attacks poses a clear future danger for the Baltic states, Poland and quite possibly the Balkans. Even though a recognized expert on international political dynamics such as Henry Kissinger has suggested throw ing him a bone, it’s simply too late to supply Putin a fake vic tory, one that guards him from humiliation and save face. At home he maintains respect through fear. Inter nationally, his bullying has backfired. Worldwide, his disgrace is nearly complete.
Travelling through Estonia, you’ll see homes of a few different varieties that, even if not totally singular to Estonia, have an intriguing local character to them. And when surveying the cost of real estate in major North Ameri can cities, one can’t help but wonder what it might be like to live in one of these homes. Here are a few of the most classic styles of dwellings found in Estonia. Modernist Marvels: The Royal Institute of British Architects describes modernist architecture as “characterised by an emphasis on volume, asymmetrical com positions, and minimal orna mentation.” Pore over kinnisvara (real estate) databases like kv.ee and city24.ee and you will find a generous number of these built on the outskirts of places like Tallinn and Pärnu, ideally suited to first-time home owners or those who are downsizing. They may not always be asymmetri cal; in fact, many of them are rectangular or cuboid. But they do have limited ornamentation, providing room for a more flexible lifestyle. They account for a time when an inhabitant has accumulated fewer posses sions; when perhaps less time is spent at home; when kids are not part of the equation; when common spaces may need to be more flexible, like setting up a pull-out couch in the living room for overnight guests. You will also notice how much space is devoted to win dows. Glass is a major compo nent in these houses, sharply contrasting the materials and approach of tiny, historic cottage-like dwellings found elsewhere. The modular, prefab KODA
KODA Light Float house.
houses made by Estonian com pany Kodasema are a perfect example of this style. They have three concrete walls, some times clad in wood. The “face” of the house consists of a single tall glazed window. Inside, beneath the treads and risers of the staircase, there’s space to fit dishes for the kitchen. Kodasema’s houses are minimal and flexible. Construction is streamlined, as fast as one single day, depending on site conditions and prior site pre parations. One variety of the KODA house, the Light Float, can be built on water with the use of pontoons.
Photo: dwell.com
vicinity of Keila-Joa manor in Harjumaa. The highlight is a handsome stone building with light blue wooden siding, white trim, and lots of natural light pouring in. There is also a summer house with an outdoor kitchen. There is a 50,000 square metre garden with an orchard and a greenhouse. All built in 2018. One giveaway as to it being recently constructed is the inclusion of a three car garage. Humble Cabins: If you have relatives who work on a farm, know people who live in the heart of the Estonian country side, or if you’ve simply sought It’s not to everyone’s tastes. vacation accommodation closer If you have many hobbies, you to nature, hiking trails, lakes, or would quickly run out of the ocean, you have likely come storage room for your gear. across a wooden cabin or two. There are some big gaps of You know you’ve found an unused space overhead. But this even more special structure instead becomes “breathing when it has a thatched roof room,” similar to how hotel made of dried reeds. Looking at a humble build rooms without all of one’s ing intended for holding farm possessions are relaxing. equipment probably wouldn’t Extravagant Manors: Mõisad motivate you to make it your (manors), where so many residence. Neither would going Estonians toiled away as serfs back in time, when simple over the centuries, have been wooden structures like these repurposed in all manner of were constituent parts of a large ways. Though, the style of these manor. buildings seems to have in However, considering how fluenced new structures, too. these structures are occasionally Recently, Sotheby’s Realty listed renovated for use by tourists, a 2.15 million Euro estate in the they would be perfect for a retreat of some kind, to take time for yourself, pause, read, relax, and recharge. The question still remains: years for the USSR to crumble, The Long Wooden House: How to keep our attention but the media and governments These dwellings are a personal pointed to Russia’s brutal offen kept track of what was to be favourite. They have vintage sive? Some parallels do exist expected. charm. They’re not enormous. between maintaining Western The similarities: Both Gor They’re not cramped either – interest in the Soviet-occupied bachev and Putin made grave you could accommodate a fami Baltic states for 50 years and miscalculations, but Gorbachev ly, work space, and also have a convincing current governments won’t be the most despised mid-sized garden in the back. and media of the vital leader in modern Western history Some of the finest examples are im portance in defending the texts. in the town of Kuressaare, on sovereignty and territorial Most importantly, it was the the island of Saaremaa, where integrity of war-torn Ukraine. light in the tunnel, the possi the long houses are built up The urgency of post-WWII bility of a massive change in from a stone foundation. appeals for freedom for Latvia, Soviet governance that turned The most charming aspects Lithuania and Estonia in Western complacency into poli of these houses are the little evitably dissipated over five tical engagement. It’ll be the details. Saturated tones of paint. decades until Gorbachev reluc immediate upgrade in military The use of wrought iron. tantly relaxed the suppression support for the Ukrainians, that Miniature diamond-shaped and of Baltic freedom-fighters. probably will reverse the re circular windows. If you’re Already by 1987, public ports of doom and gloom that situated close to amenities, demonstrations for outright now translate into tedium in the you’d have a lot going for you. independence drew intimidation, West. Apartment Blocks: Due to but not full force KGB repres We can do more than mourn their historical background, sion. the dead and praise Ukrainian their poor quality construction, Western media took note, valour. More effective battle and the social difficulties of Western activists were galva field technology is needed right surrounding neighbourhoods, nized into action and pro- now and we must do our part in it’s not surprising that old apart independence movements re- making this urgent for the deci energized. It still took four sion-makers. LAAS LEIVAT (Continued on page 9)
