Architects Revamp Art Academy Design
As the Academy of Arts continues to battle with neighbors over the right to erect its new downtown building, the planned edifice has taken on a new and more chaste look.
The Danish architects of the future “Art Plaza,” which originally won the design contest in 2008, have come up with a total makeover that will bring construction costs down from 44 million euros to 29 million euros.
Rektor Signe Kivi said the new design has fewer bells and whistles and is more transparent. A spiral atrium and white concrete lattice facade were removed.
The chair of the architects' union, Peeter Pere, said the new concept would not have won the initial contest, but that it has preserved its architectural integrity. "I presume the Danish architects will give us a final product that will satisfy the taxpayers," said Pere.
The academy's architecture professor, Toomas Tammis, called the design "reasonable". "It is cheaper, and it shows - that's natural. It would be extremely artificial if we tried to make it into something it is not. We are showing the reality of things and we need to get by,” said Tammis.
Meanwhile, students are still waiting for their new building, the completion deadline for which has shifted from this year to 2015 because some residential neighbors oppose the 16-story school, which would block sunlight to their apartments.
But Rector Kivi said the dispute, which has dragged on for months, should be resolved soon. “It seems we have found a possible solution, and I believe we are moving toward in the direction of reaching an agreement next year," sõnas Kivi.
Ott Tammik