Zaha Hadid Architects has begun construction on the Ülemiste Passenger Terminal in Tallinn, Estonia. 

Named Ülemiste Passenger Terminal, the terminal is a multimodal transportation hub serving commuters in the city, as well as foreign rail and air travelers using the nearby Tallinn Airport. 

Zaha Hadid Architects revealed the first plans for the terminal in 2019, which was envisioned as "a connecting public bridge" for commuters, national and international rail passengers in addition to air travelers using the adjacent Tallinn airport.

Image © Nightnurse

The scheme is envisioned as a connecting bridge that will connect the various districts of Tallinn that are currently divided by the railway tracks that run through the city.

The new 870-kilometer Rail Baltica electrified railway, which is now under construction, will have its northern terminus at Tallinn's Ülemiste station when it opens in 2028. 

Rail Baltica, a passenger rail system that will link Poland's high-speed rail network with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, can travel at up to 249 km/h.

Zaha Hadid Architects developed the design with leading Estonian architecture and engineering firm Esplan.

The spatial geometry of the terminal has been established by circulation routes, which facilitate seamless integration of the city's bus, tram, rail, and cycle networks that intersect at the terminus, as well as navigation. 

Image © Nightnurse

The terminal has been planned and developed in accordance with BREEAM benchmarks and requirements, and has a modular structural system that was constructed in phases to allow for continuous operations on the rail lines throughout construction.

"Rail Baltica is a European, Baltic and Estonian project," said Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility, Magda Kopczynska.

"The Baltic States must be connected to the European rail network, both in order to ensure the security of supply chains, comfortable travel, economic development and, last but not least, our common European security."

"The European Commission has been and will remain a strong supporter of Rail Baltica," Kopczynska added.

"We have been dreaming of a fast connection to Europe. This is a landmark year in the construction of Rail Baltica – in addition to laying the cornerstone of the Ülemiste terminal, the construction of the main line has also begun. Building a high-quality connection will provide a much-needed new opportunity for the Estonia’s people and its economy," said Estonia’s Climate Minister, Kristen Michal.

Zaha Hadid Architects recently shared an update about the construction of West Kowloon Terminus development in Hong Kong. The firm won a competition to design Riga Ropax Terminal in Latvia. 

Additionally, the firm is working on the renovation of the Le Schuylkill Tower, the first high rise building constructed in 1963 in Monaco. ZHA completed a new office and retail tower that features fluid and continuous vertical golden fins in Prague in the Czech Republic.

Project facts

Competition Stage
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Board Directors: Patrik Schumacher, Gianluca Racana
ZHA Project Directors: Ludovico Lombardi, Michele Salvi
ZHA Design Team: Luciano Letteriello, Kate Revyakina, Serra Pakalin, Yuzhi Xu, Anthony Awanis, Hendrik Rupp, Mauro Sabiu

Design Stages
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
ZHA Board Directors: Patrik Schumacher, Gianluca Racana
ZHA Project Directors: Ludovico Lombardi, Michele Salvi
ZHA Project Leads: Luciano Letteriello, Marco Guardincerri
ZHA Design team: Zrinka Radic, Amittai Antoine, Richard Maekallas, Davide del Giudice, Alexsandra Fisher, Jose Navarrete Deza, Mauro Sabiu, Adam Twigger

Consultants
Local Architect: Esplan OU
Engineering: Esplan OU

Top rendering in the article © Nightnurse.

All renderings © Negativ unless otherwise stated. 

> via Zaha Hadid Architects

Tallinn transport hub Ülemiste Passenger Terminal Zaha Hadid Architects