7 minute read
Community
WORKING WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
In this Q&A, GreenPort talks to Valdo Kalm, CEO, Port of Tallinn, about its cruise terminal community project which was nominated for the ESPO award in 2022
Photo: Port of Tallinn
Could you please briefl y describe the project to develop the harbour and new cruise terminal?
Tallinn Old City Harbour is the main seaport of Tallinn, located just 10-15 minutes walking distance from the city centre and the UNESCO heritage district Tallinn Old Town, constructed in the 13th century. The new cruise terminal is the newest addition to harbour that already has a marina and two passenger terminals. The harbour is the gateway to Tallinn for millions of guests each year.
Tallinn’s strong historic ties to the sea were severed during the second half of the 20th century when the Soviet regime developed coastline areas with the intent of keeping people away from access to the sea in order to minimise the risk of people fleeing the Soviet Union. The aim when constructing the new cruise terminal was to reinvigorate the historic tie between the sea and the city by reimagining the port’s infrastructure with the intent to open up the seaside to the city and vice versa.
The Old City Harbour’s new cruise terminal was built with the intent to provide the city’s visitors with a welcoming transition from a ship to town and provide both the residents and visitors of Tallinn with a pleasant urban environment . The cruise terminal aims to be an important landmark and a place to visit even when not boarding a ship. The aim when constructing a new cruise terminal designed by Salto Architects and Stuudio Tallinn AB was to build something that is not only a state-of-the-art terminal building for the 500 000
Qcruise tourists who visit Tallinn every year, but something that will be seen as an integral part of the urban environment – an A opportunity for the residents and visitors of Tallinn to reclaim the access to the sea in actively used close harbour area in the heart of Tallinn and a reason to do it. Subsequently, a multi-purpose building with a rooftop promenade connecting the terminal to the surrounding city centre and the historic Kalamaja, Kadriorg and Old City districts was developed.
QHow did the project involve the community? A The intention of the project was to integrate our seafront with the local community in order to create a friendly and intelligent urban environment for both the residents and visitors of Tallinn.
The harbour in Tallinn is the first and last point of contact where the passengers get the impression of the city and the country – a nice and hospitable welcome is part of the reputation building of the destination.
The project aims to overhaul the entire harbour area into a sustainable, attractive and multipurpose urban area with open seafront and with possibilities for everybody to enjoy.
The new terminal is the most contemporary in the region, designed with the environment and sustainability in mind. Beside leaving the cruise guests an indelible first impression and better service, it is also gives the opportunity for the
8 The project aims
to overhaul the entire harbour area into a sustainable, attractive and multipurpose urban area
event organisers to create more value to the community bringing more national and international events with smaller environmental footprint.
The promenade, which connects the seafront with the city centre, has opened the area for the citizens and guests of Tallinn - the promenade has plenty of seating areas, a restaurant, a children’s playground and outdoor gym. The goal was to build something that is not only a state-of-the-art terminal for tourists who visit Tallinn but something that will be seen as an integral part of the urban environment – an opportunity for the residents and visitors of Tallinn to reclaim the access to the sea.
What about in terms of sustainability, what were the key considerations for the project?
Beside the economic impact that cruise guests and cruise ships bring to the destination, the local community benefits from attending and hosting events in the cruise terminal, the new space will create new business opportunities. The local community also profit from the enhanced outdoor urban space - the promenade on top of the cruise terminal is frequently visited by citizen and guests of Tallinn.
To operate the cruise terminal, jobs are created in the restaurant on the promenade, the information and souvenir selling points in the cruise terminal and organizations that facilitate the events in the cruise terminal.
Besides the fact that the terminal is constructed with the local community in mind, the terminal is also environmentally sustainable. The technical design of the terminal is inspired by a study “Sustainable energetic solutions for cruise terminal buildings in Northern Climate” that was carried out as part of the Green Cruise Port project, co-financed by the European Commission through the Interreg Baltic Sea program.
The terminal is constructed using Kebony wood which has a lower carbon footprint than equivalent hardwoods. The building’s energy needs are met by 725 solar panels adapted to the Nordic climate. This covers 35% of the energy requirement in the cold part of the year, while it provides up to 100% of the energy requirements in the summertime.
The building is heated and cooled by two heat pumps that are connected to an innovative seawater heat exchange. The heat pump system cools and heats with respectively a maximum power of 430 kW and 170 kW. Lastly, at the berth places, innovative wastewater reception facilities are present. This innovation, called the micro tunnel, reduces the flow of wastewater to the city’s sewer systems as the sewers in Tallinn cannot handle the wastewater volume – approximately 200 m3 per hour/per ship (1200m3 in total) - from cruise ships at once.
The open rooftop promenade Port of Tallinn encourages people to walk from the port to the city and vise versa instead of using transport.
This means that the building contributes to two aspects of the EU Green Deal: supplying clean, affordable and secure energy, and building and renovating in an energy and resource-efficient way.
What stage is the project at, what will happen next in the development?
The entire reimagining of the Old City Harbor that started in 2017 when the Masterplan 2030 for the harbour area was commissioned from the London-based architecture firm Zaha Hadid Architectures. The masterplan provides a vision for the long-term development of the entire harbour area. This includes both the areas used by the harbour personnel, the areas used by the passengers as well as the areas that could be made accessible to everyone.
The construction of the new cruise terminal in 2021 is the first step in reconstructing the entire port area that aims to provide the public with better access to the seaside by opening the port area to recreational, commercial and residential use. The aim for the future is to unify the city centre and the three historic districts surrounding the port area, that have been disconnected from each other for decades by an unwelcoming and utilitarian closed harbour area.
The harbour’s central location and the fact it is surrounded by the business and cultural hubs of the city in addition to the generally desirable seaside location mean that the development has all the prerequisites to be a highly prized location to live and work in and to come and spend your free time.
The remodelling of the harbour area is expected to be completed by 2040. While the full-scale reimagining of the entire harbour area is in its planning stage the harbour is currently undergoing a smaller scale transformation focusing on the tight spots of the harbour today.
In addition to the new cruise terminal, the Port of Tallinn has reconstructed the passenger terminal D, constructed a movable pedestrian bridge between the two main passenger terminals thereby removing the need to walk around the marina. The renovations of the area in front of the passenger terminal D was finished in 2022 and replaced the present car focused tarmac square with a park-like area creating yet another place for everybody to use and enjoy.
Q A
8 Valdo Kalm, CEO,
Port of Tallinn
QCan you give some take home advice to other ports and terminals who may be considering such a project? A People should be the focus, when creating the new waterfront district in the harbour area. We also suggest to put the locals first, because in the end the tourists like to visit the areas that locals do.
