Reuse on all scales defines design to create mixed-use city district

Tenderstream member Cobe has shared their vision for the transformation of the historic ‘Krulli’ steelworks into a mixed-use city district in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. With a comprehensive strategy that reuses existing elements found in the steelworks - from materials and components to entire buildings - the urban transformation will bring back workplaces and city life to the decommissioned industrial area. Currently Cobe is detailing an innovation hub set to kickstart the development. 

Cobe were commissioned for the project in 2023 and built on a masterplan for the area developed in 2021 by Estonian architect Andres Alve. The overall goal is to integrate urbanism, landscape and architecture to create a mixed-use city district with a focus on entrepreneurial community and start-ups, while providing 600 new homes alongside 3,000 new workplaces.

Dating back to 1899, the former steelworks now features a blend of nature and temporary activities within and surrounding its abandoned structures. The innovation hub involves the transformation of three industrial heritage halls into co-working spaces, cafés, shops, artist studios, and exhibitions. The current building structures and components have been mapped out to form the basis for the new design. Office spaces constructed from timber will be arranged in a chequerboard pattern within the existing buildings. Limestone walls, concrete columns and panels, foundations and steel trusses will be re-used, ensuring preservation of the historical facades and minimizing carbon impact. 

Cobe founder and professor at Harvard University, Dan Stubbergaard, stated: “We firmly believe in urban transformation and in reusing what already exists. In the context of climate change and resource scarcity, the most sustainable and meaningful project will always be the one that is already built. Following this principle, the Krulli site is a treasure box of materials, buildings and urban qualities just waiting to be transformed and reused.”

The innovation hub is currently undergoing detailed design, with expected completion in 2027. 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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