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urban axis
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Main atrium
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Main entrance
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aerial view, night
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Landscape from above
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wooden facade rythms
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Ground Floor Plan
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First Floor Plan
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Second Floor Plan
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Section
Pelgulinna State Secondary School
Arhitekt Must OÜ, OÜ PINK, Kino maastikuarhitektid OÜ. Tallinn, Estonia
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Name of work in English
Pelgulinna State Secondary School
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Name of work in original language
Pelgulinna riigigümnaasium
Prize year
EUmies Awards 2026
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Work Location
Tallinn, Estonia
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Studio
Arhitekt Must OÜ, OÜ PINK, Kino maastikuarhitektid OÜ
EUmies Awards 2026 Nominees
The school, accommodating 1,080 students and 120 teachers, functions like a small town — with streets, generous squares, framed views and symbolic features — creating an engaging spatial environment that supports learning throughout the building, both indoors and outdoors.
Collaborators
Project management: Olavi Ottas - Hoco; Structure: Tõnis Agasild - Arro ja Agasild Inseneribüroo; Structure: Jürgen Einpaul - Estkonsult; Structure: Laur Lõvi - Makespace; Acoustics: Kaupo Kõrven - Akustikainsener
Program
Education
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Labels
School · Children & Youth
Site area
25500 m²
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Client
Ministry of Education and Research
Total gross floor
8273 m²
Cost
3000 €/m²
The building features a distinctive external form created by the intersection of three equally sized volumes with square bases. This strict geometric shape is softened by a spatial wooden double façade, volumetric recesses, and a 300-meter-long bench encircling the school. In contrast to the exterior’s rigor, the interior is fluid, playful, and interconnected across multiple floors. The blurred boundary between inside and outside is best exemplified by three tropical trees planted indoors, which also establish a visual and material link to the building’s structural framework.
The seed for the timber school building was sown already in the architecture competition brief. The aim was to establish a school specialised in environmental education and the building was similarly supposed to illustrate the possibilities of environmentally responsible construction. The location on the edge of Merimetsa park forest forms a gateway between the urban space and natural environment. The building, landscape and forest are engaged in a mutually supportive dialogue, forming an integrated whole and occasionally merging into one another. In addition to the outdoor learning possibilities, the merger can also take place through material aesthetics – the timber of the façade is allowed to lead its own life and turn grey over time. The building and its surroundings have become an integral part of the local urban fabric, fostering a strong connection between the school and the community.
In addition to the load-bearing structure, timber has assumed various different roles in the building, for instance, as a smooth and warm bench, perforated acoustic panels as well as a streamlined banister. Also the façade is important – the timber lattice functions as a sun control and also creates a landscape of benches and nooks along the building. The façade is clad in heat-treated pine wood, which is subsequently processed in vacuum chambers with a polymer-based fire retardant, extending the wood’s service life to nearly 30 years.