Tartu University keeps central Tallinn law faculty building

Tartu University will keep its law faculty and Tallinn office in its central Tallinn building despite ending daytime law studies in the city, ERR reported.

The university is renovating the building on Kaarli Boulevard, which previously housed its law faculty. The decision to end daytime studies in Tallinn will not change the building’s planned use, university property department head Heiki Pagel told ERR.

The building will serve students in session-based law studies, continuing education students and the university’s Tallinn office. The renovated premises will include more lecture halls and seminar rooms, as well as a library.

Renovation began because the building had deteriorated and no longer had enough space. Completion, initially planned for June next year, has been postponed until the end of September. Pagel said the delay followed discoveries about the building’s structures, the need for additional design and structural work, and archaeological investigations. Valuable historical finds uncovered during excavations temporarily halted construction.

The renovation contract has also increased from 11 million euros to 11.7 million euros. Pagel attributed the rise to the building’s actual structural condition differing from the documentation used during design, as well as the need for archaeological studies and excavations.