Tartu to build first emergency shelter under new culture center

Tartu's first specially designed emergency shelter will be built below the new cultural center in the middle of the city. It will be able to accommodate around 300 people.
The new building was initially designed without a shelter space in its basement and now it will have to be adapted.
"When Tartu began designing the Südalinna Cultural Center, the city had no information about the extent to which public buildings should include shelters or hiding places. Even today, this is not yet fully clear in Estonia because there is no corresponding legislation. However, it is evident that such a requirement will emerge in the future. This requirement already exists in Finland, where similar projects use a standard where shelter space constitutes roughly one percent of the building's usable area. Based on this, Tartu has decided it is reasonable to proceed with the shelter design now," said Kunnar Jürgenson, head of the city's asset management department.
Based on Finnish standards, the shelter will be able to ofter a hiding place to around 315 people in a 240 square meter space.
"It will be on the side facing Uueturu tänav, near Kaubamaja, where there is an exit ramp to facilitate evacuation if necessary. It will include a generator, a secure electricity supply, a dedicated ventilation system, and separate exits," Jürgenson explained.

It will be possible to use the shelter even when there is no emergency. The space will function as a parking area for up to 200 bikes.
The initial design work will cost approximately €54,000. Construction costs will be determined during the public procurement process.
In addition to the purpose built shelter, the underground parking garage and other spaces will still be designated as public hiding places, similar to the underground levels of two major shopping centers in Tartu's city center.
The Southern Rescue Center's Maarja-Liis Laprik said it is important to note that a public hiding place is not the same as a shelter.
"A shelter absorbs shockwaves and blocks debris and shrapnel. A shelter is a specially constructed space or a room within a building that is equipped with specific ventilation systems and other such solutions," she explained.
Currently, there are no purpose build shelters in Tartu but there are 23 public hiding places. These spaces can accommodate about one-third of the city's population, approximately 35,000 people. The majority are in the city center.
"In general, these are underground spaces — basements and ground-level floors — located in various buildings. Some are in schools, others in shopping centers. It is always recommended to take shelter in the building you are in when you receive an air raid siren or an alert via SMS. People should not travel several kilometers to find a public hiding place; instead, they should seek shelter in, for example, their home basement," Laprik said.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Helen Wright