Emergency situation may hinder building of Kadriorg's public reading corner
The space for the location of the public reading corner in Kadriorg was marked out next to Tammsaare Museum this week. Tallinn hopes the project will be ready for the autumn literary festival but the emergency situation may hinder building work.
At Kadriorg, at the intersection of Koidula and Faehlmann Streets, a green area across the road from the Tammsaare Museum has been earmarked for the location of the reading corner.
The project's architect, Jaan Tiidemann, told ERR that this is an experimental pilot project that the Tallinn City Center government wants the community to use the unused space.
"The initial task was to create a reading corner or an open library that would connect with the Koidula Street Literary Festival. In the summer of 2019, at the initiative of the City Government, we prepared two sketches from the reading corner with EAA students, from which the White Paper was selected for further development," Tiidemann said.
He explained that the solution to the work was a glass pavilion with bookshelves on the walls. The floor is made of wood and the roof is inspired by a sheet of paper which refers to a blank white sheet.
"This is the beginning of every new story. Moving on to the green space of Koidula Street, the pavilion also marks the beginning of a new story. We wanted to create a safe, maintenance-free space and leave the books to play. The reading corner is part of the public space. the footprint is small because it rests on thin steel piles," he said.
Coronavirus crisis may change building plans
Aigar Palsner, Head of the Urban Environment Department at the Tallinn City Government, representing the project commissioner, said given the current difficult situation with the coronavirus and the emergency situation giving a clear answer about completion of the project is not possible.
He said: "For the most part, based on our own revenue as a revenue-generating district, we are confronted with the fact that revenues from renting business premises, organizing street sales as well as fairs, and making space available for outdoor cafes are likely to decline. Therefore, it is currently difficult to say if we can implement our plans for this year."
Palsner confirmed that the district government wants to build a reading corner on Koidula Street.
"Hopefully, by the time the Literary Festival takes place, it will be there. Of course, if our budget position does not materially deteriorate for the reasons described above. It is too early to make more accurate predictions in this regard," he said.
The Literary Street Festival takes place in Kadriorg in September.
--
Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright