The students designed and built the structure themselves and its unveiling marks the end of their first year of studies.

The wooden birdhouse has been named "Linnutee", which is the Estonian name for the Milky Way but also directly translates as "birds' way".

EKA students usually create a public space for humans during their first year but this year they focused on birds.

Arthur Reik, who came up with the design for "Linnutee", said the structure emphasizes the increasing importance of the coexistence of wildlife and architecture.

"The construction of "Linnutee" is a good example of how the man-made environment can take into account the needs of different species. Our design provides birds with nesting sites, shelters them from direct daylight, and protects them from predators. We hope that it will be an interesting change of scenery and for the human eye," Raik said.

Construction took 10 days the students needed to prepare the site and build 12 nests.

"None of us have much construction experience, so it was a challenge to carry out all the operations in accordance with safety requirements. For example, how to safely fix the beams at a height of seven meters when the wooden structure is slippery from the rain," Raik said.

The construction of the shelter was supported by the City of Tartu, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Forest and Wood Industry Association, the Center for Environmental Investments, Kotton Betoon, Raitwood, ITK Lighting, Hektor Light, and Rothoblaas. 

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