Tallinn municipality decided to consolidate its public governance and service entities into a new town hall. Located to the north of the medieval city center set within the green ring that wraps around the ancient city walls, the new town hall occupies a key position in the successful urbanization of the waterfront and offers a unique possibility of linking land and sea, old and new, public space and public institutions.

BIG’s design proposal, selected from 81 international competition entries, creates a new urban typology that combines the human scale and intimate experience of the medieval townscape, with the public space and municipal symbolism of the modern extension.
An open and permeable administrative village, extending both town center and public park all the way to the water’s edge.

BIG’s proposal turns the entire site of the new Tallinn Town Hall into a big open public square connecting all the adjoining urban situations; the Soviet-era sports center Linnen Hall, the Cultural Cauldron, the Green Ring, the medieval town and the modern developments, into one new public space.

A village of 11 buildings for the City offices, the City Council and different administrative functions are elevated to create a continuous public space on the ground floor. Organizing the administrative functions this way, allows the departments to operate as a cluster of independent entities as well as one unified workspace.

The public square – half outside, half inside – contains a restaurant, conference hall, exhibitions and all the citizen services as well as informal meeting spaces in the lounge or under open sky.

The indoor part of the public square accommodates all the citizen services in a form of public service marketplace where citizens can come and meet the public servants face to face.

The restaurant is open to both the public as well as the public servants. It is connected with a public stair and elevator to a generous roof garden at the top of the town hall, where an outdoor café offers people an unparalleled 360 degree panorama of Tallinn.

Generous courtyards and light wells allow abundant daylight to filter through the offices above, bathing the public interior in natural daylight.

Good governance and participatory democracy is dependent on transparency in both directions. It requires adequate political overview of the problems, demands and desires of the public, as well as public insight into the political processes.

The new town hall of Tallinn will provide this two way transparency in a very literal way. The various public departments form a porous canopy above the public service market place allowing both daylight and view to permeate the structure.

The public servants won’t be some remote administrators taking decisions behind thick walls, but will be visible in their daily work from all over the market place via the light wells and courtyards. From outside the panoramic windows allow the citizens to see their city at work. In reverse the public servants will be able to look out and into the market place’s making sure that the city and its citizens are never out of sight nor mind.

The City Council, the heart of the democratic process, is located in the town hall tower visible from the park, the plaza and the podium of the Linnen Hall.

The roof of the tower is tilted forming a slender spire. The sloping ceiling of the tower is finished in a reflective material. The mirror ceiling transforms the tower into a huge democratic periscope allowing literal transparency between politicians and public.

In the new town hall of Tallinn the ceiling will be a real (reflected) overview of the city both old and new. Whenever a politician raises his/her glance, he/she will be met with the view of Tallinn’s townscape.

The citizens, rallying protesters or simply people passing by, will look towards the tower, and within it get an insight into the political work. The circular formation of council members will be reflected in the tilted ceiling, and give the surrounding citizens a sense of assurance that the democracy is busy working for them.