Tallinn fishing harbor to get year-round outdoor swimming complex

A year-round outdoor swimming complex will be built at the fishing harbor beside Tallinn City Hall, ERR reports. The project, selected through an architectural competition, will be based on a winning design by the Estonian firm Arhitekt Must and will highlight the harbor’s historic atmosphere.

The complex will be operated by a Finnish company that runs a similar outdoor pool and terrace center in Helsinki. Construction is expected to begin at the end of this year, with completion planned for 2028.

The area between Kalarand beach and Tallinn City Hall has become run-down over the years. The surface of the former quay is deteriorating, and it currently has no clear function or users.

“One of the key features of this center is that it will have many outdoor areas, and the pools will also be outside,” said Martin Rebane, development director at real estate company Kapitel. He said the city had required a public beach promenade and that the developers also wanted it to remain public because of its proximity to the city center.

The paid pools connected to the sea will be based on the Allas outdoor pool concept created by Finnish real estate developer Nordic Urban in central Helsinki. The Tallinn project was designed by Arhitekt Must.

“We drew inspiration from the history of Kalasadam’s fishing shore and found fascinating old images showing low quays where small fishing boats arrived, followed by higher quays for larger ships,” architect Alvin Järving said.

The design will follow different levels, beginning with a lower beach promenade, followed by a higher quay, the pools and terraces above them. Järving said this would recreate the atmosphere of the old quays.

In addition to the outdoor pool complex, the Kalasadam quay will be reconstructed and its surroundings upgraded. A 200-metre promenade will also be built and handed over for public use. Kapitel and Arhitekt Must have held extensive discussions with the city about the design, including where café seating, public waterfront space and places for fishing would be located.

Kapitel owns a total of two hectares in and around Kalasadam. A hotel with more than 300 rooms is planned on the site of a nearby car park and vacant land.