Tabivere Basic School

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

TABIVERE BASIC SCHOOL

Arhitekt Must

ARCHITECTS
Arhitekt Must

PHOTOGRAPHS
Terje Ugandi

LOCATION
Estonia

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Ott Alver, Alvin Järving, Mari Rass

DESIGN TEAM
Kaire Koidu, Sander Paling, Katrin Vilberg

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
T43 Sisearhitektid

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Kino Maastikuarhitektid

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Projekt O2

CATAGORY
Elementary & Middle School, Detail

AREA
3800 m²

YEAR
2020

INDEPENDENCE OF A SMALL SETTLEMENT.

The existing school building, with its long corridors, separated blocks, and without a central public space, no longer met the needs of the local residents.

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

The terms of reference for the new building foresaw it as the centre of the community – its function as a basic school is complemented by a public library, a gym, music rooms, and a general-purpose auditorium.

Its proximity to the city of Tartu constantly tests the functioning of Tabivere as an independent settlement – people increasingly tend to work in and use the services of the larger city.

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

The new building makes it possible to reverse that trend. The building is meant for all the inhabitants of Tabivere, expanding the range of services offered and promoting social interaction between the residents.

GRANDIOSE GALLERY.

The long and slender volume of the building flirts with the typology of the basilica, common in church architecture.

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

The backbone of the school is a gallery space 100m long and 7m high lined with elements made of laminated timber.


The volume of the gallery extends above the rest of the building, bringing natural light through the windows of the clerestory into the interior of the school.

The central axis is open at both ends and the wooden elements expand partly into the outdoor space.

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

The red mosaic concrete and the repetitive rhythm of the elements accentuate the axiality of the space even further while being balanced by the warmth of the wood.

THE DRUMLINS OF VOOREMAA.

The most common landforms of the region are drumlins, which occur in parallel and in groups; in folklore, due to their mystical shape, they were also considered furrows plowed by Kalevipoeg.

The long building placed perpendicular to the slope brings out the strong relief of the landscape.

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

The building plays with its surroundings as well – in the middle of its elongated indoor space, the single-story building turns into two levels through intermediate floors.

The landscape architecture of the building also follows the movement and the shape of the drumlins.

Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi
Tabivere Basic School
© Terje Ugandi

The surrounding landscape of elongated hills and depressions invites discovery and experimentation with abstract and playful forms.


Tabivere Basic School
Site plan
Tabivere Basic School
Ground Floor Plan
Tabivere Basic School
Upper Floor Plan
Tabivere Basic School
Floor plan


Tabivere Basic School
Elevation
Tabivere Basic School
Diagram