Tallinn hopes to find partner for Linnahall reconstruction next year
There is interest to reconstruct the iconic brutalist Linnahall building in Tallinn among enterprises to turn the multi-purpose venue, built for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, into a conference and concert center. The city intends to announce a tender next year, said Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart (Center).
Tallinn conducted a round of market research among companies and results showed that four companies had concrete interest in restoring the building in cooperation with Tallinn, Kõlvart said.
Now the city must specify conditions in the tender, prepare the tender itself next year and announce a contest to find a partner, the mayor added.
"We have certainty that finding a partner is realistic. Larger companies that participated in the study actually have a solid portfolio. We can see that companies have the capacity, capabilities and experience to realize these kinds of projects. We can move on with the project today," Kõlvart said.
The mayor added that the city's goal is for Linnahall to be reconstructed into a conference center, which could also house concerts.
Current estimations have the reconstruction costing up to €130 million, Kõlvart said the city has allocated the funds in the budgetary strategy. "Four companies have clear interest, but other companies also let us know that if there is a tender, they will certainly read the conditions," Kõlvart noted.
Tallinn hopes to cooperate with a private sector firm to allocate the released funds into other major projects, such as the Tallinn Hospital development, Kõlvart added.
Linnahall was constructed for the 1980 Summer Olympics for the sailing events. The building was originally named the V. I. Lenin Palace of Culture and Sport and was designed by Raine Karp and Riina Altmäe, the interior architects were Ülo Sirp and Mariann Hakk.
Inside there is an ice hall and a concert hall which closed in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Director Christopher Nolan shot part of his latest film "Tenet" in Linnahall where it doubled as the Kyiv Opera House. The building is closed to the public, but the roof is open.
In early 2020, shipping line Tallink announced it would develop the iconic Linnahall in Tallinn into a passenger port as well as a conference center, concert hall, hotel and shopping center. The company eventually dropped out of the project. In July this year, Tallinn met with investment fund manager Baltcap, who was interested in investing, but Kõlvart said the city would wait for other offers.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste
