The laureates of the annual architecture awards have been announced by the Estonian Association of Architects, Estonian Association of Interior Architects, The Estonian Landscape Architects Union and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in Architecture, recognizing the most outstanding achievements, works and authors of Estonian architecture.
“Estonia’s easternmost cultural landmark has been renewed with dignity. The old structure and its new content form an extremely original whole and truthfully one can’t envision anything else ever being there,” found the jury. How to adjust a castle so that it would meet contemporary needs without disrupting the historically valuable? The authors of the reconstruction project proceeded from two important principles. Firstly, everything added must be clearly distinguished from the existing parts and represent contemporary architecture in its best sense. Secondly, everything added to the historical building must be revertable without disrupting the original building, if in the future the principles of reconstruction might change.
As a result of the reconstruction the castle has become ‘readable’ for the public, the building is discreetly equipped with contemporary technology and the origin of the castle has been presented in its genuinity and diversity. The jury appreciated the conservation and exhibition of the earlier restoration works from the 1970s and 80s which have also become part of history.