Work on a new TV house (Telemaja) is at an advanced stage, and the fate of the somewhat dilapidated current facilities has now been announced by the City of Tallinn.
The buildings on Gonsiori and Faehlmanni streets will be redeveloped to include apartment blocks. Most of the buildings will be three to five stories high, with one to total eight floors.
The development is being designed to fit in with the architectural heritage of the surrounding Raua neighborhood, and will include underground shelter facilities.
Around half the property will be set aside for residential use, while the remainder will be used for commercial and public activities – possibly even including a public library.
Some aspects of the old TV house will be retained post-development. ERR’s new television building is still under construction, and according to the plan, its predecessor buildings will be vacated at some point in 2028.
However, the property will go on sale already this fall, as proceeds from the sale of the building complex are a key component in funding the new building’s tech equipment.
Once the new TV building, sandwiched between the existing New House (Uudistemaja) and Radio House (Raadiomaja), is finished, the current complex at F. R. Faehlmanni 10/Gonsiori 27 will completely cease functioning in broadcasting.
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik (Center) announced at a press conference Tuesday that the city has initiated a detailed plan for the Faehlmanni/Gonsiori property. Proposals were prepared by the Tallinn chief architect’s office and architecture firm Kadarik Tüür Arhitektid.
Its new use will be radically different and will include residential apartments.
“This old building, which many see as an oversized television building, could become a new, pleasant and varied mixed-use urban space. Everyone knows that the old television building complex is vast and sprawling. In the future, we would like to see buildings there with public and residential functions,” Terik said.
As things stand under the plan, 95 percent of the old television building property is zoned for public buildings, while the site contains a completely depreciated building complex.
The property will mainly feature three- to five-story residential, commercial and public buildings once redeveloped. A landmark building of up to eight stories will also be permitted.
Commercial and public buildings will account for at least 50 percent of the total development, while residential space may account for much of the remaining half. According to Terik, dwellings covering those proportions could bring around 230 new residents to the area. The ground floors of the buildings are intended for active commercial and public uses.
Tiit Terik. Source: Siim Lõvi /ERR
Among other things, consideration is being given to creating premises for a branch library which would serve the neighborhood.
New pedestrian and bike lanes are planned for the quarter too, along with a neighborhood square at the intersection of Faehlmanni, Terase and Kollase streets. Connections toward the nearby Politseipark (Police Park), Keskturg (Central Market), itself to be redeveloped, and the Tartu mnt tram stop are also to be improved.
The ETV building, the flagship portion of the building facing Gonsiori tänav, as well as an entry house, will be preserved and restored. The northeastern section, toward the intersection of Kollase and Faehlmanni, will be designed at a lower height than the rest, to ensure a smooth transition to the nearby architecturally valuable Raua neighborhood, and to provide sunlight to the planned square.
Greenery will cover at least 30 percent of the area, under the plans. Existing mature trees and other greenery along Gonsiori are to be preserved.
A public pedestrian and cycle lane running diagonally across the site is planned, while vehicle parking will mainly be routed into underground parking facilities. Short-term parallel parking spaces are however planned for Faehlmanni tänav.
The new development will require an architectural tender process, and a vegetation inventory and noise study are to be carried out beforehand.
The new buildings must also include shelters that comply with the requirements of the Building Code.
Studies on greenery and noise and the preparation of the detailed plan will take place in 2027.
The detailed plan is expected to be adopted at the end of 2027/early 2028 and formally established in 2028.
“I believe that together with our colleagues we can make a strong enough effort to carry out the studies and prepare the detailed plan in 2027, and perhaps adopt it already by the end of next year. At the beginning of 2028, we could formally establish it and complete all the public disclosure and consultation procedures. After that, it will be possible to move on to the architectural competition,” Terik, a former culture minister, added.
Once the detailed planning process is underway, ERR will be able to initiate the sales process, which will be carried out in cooperation with real estate agency Uus Maa, who won the procurement.
The plan is to find a new owner for the property and to set up a tripartite administrative agreement for preparing the detailed plan, which will be signed in early 2027. ERR will continue to use the site until the end of 2028.
TV production is scheduled to move into the new TV house from early 2028.
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