Pirita hotel due for refurbishment to close doors earlier than planned
A hotel and spa center in Tallinn which is due for redevelopment will be closing its doors between now and spring, when the renovation is due to start, due to soaring energy prices, developers say.
Andres Liinsoo, a partner at Novira, developing the Pirita TOP hotel in Tallinn, said that: "It is trye that the swimming pool and other businesses operating in the building are closing their doors."
"Unfortunately, given the current energy prices, it is no longer possible to manage the building sensibly. In addition, the building was designed with solutions which do not meet modern energy requirements, and it is extremely inefficient. The building also contains plenty of empty space, which, unfortunately, also needs to be managed, heated and repaired," he went on.
While construction activities are planned for the spring of 2023, this, too, is still subject to change.
Linsoo said: "Provided that the prepared timetables with the designers are met, and we can solve the legal problems at a reasonable pace, then yes - the construction activity is still planned for the spring of 2023. The final decision on the building will have to be made bearing in mind the specific market situation and the feasibility of the business plan."
The developer had previously told ERR that the only possible solution to breathe new life into the hotel was by building a parking facility in the building, converting the hotel into a business and conference-focused affair and by transforming its sports club into a modern health center.
At the same time, heritage protection requirements set a limit on the renovation - nothing can be added to it, while the question of how much can be rebuilt is already a controversial issue.
Special conditions for heritage protection are now available and amenable, while those nuances which the developer is not satisfied with should find suitable solutions, he said, though will take time.
The Pirita TOP hotel's heritage protection order was recently re-purposed, while owners Purje Vara OÜ ordered the coordination of the reconstruction plan in conjunction with Tallinn City Government and the state Heritage Protection Board (Muinsuskaitseamet).
The hotel dates back to 1980, when Estonia hosted the Moscow Olympics' sailing events in Pirita, and is constructed in a symmetrical monumental slab concrete structure reminiscent of the Linnahall, built in the same year.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
