This art school is located at Kevade 4 in central Tallinn, close to the very heart of the city. It is predominantly surrounded by apartment buildings.
The street it is on (formerly also known as Kordese Street) is in the Kassisaba district just down the hill from Toompea Castle. It first appeared on maps in the 18th century. The plans for the building were approved in 1912, having been designed by structural engineer Karl Jürgenson. The initial plans were for an Art Nouveau structure, but in the course of construction the building gained a more neoclassical look, which was an emerging trend at the time. Led by master builder Willem Hanstein, construction was completed as early as 1913. The building earned recognition for its modern approach, the timber part no longer being erected using traditional beams, but as a timber-framed structure which made construction both quicker and cheaper. However, this later caused problems with heat retention, since the insulating material initially used was peat. Further problems arose over time due to the damp ground in the area, which led to a belt of concrete being laid around the building. A concrete embankment was also erected.
The school operating in the building qualified as a national upper secondary school in 1917 and became known as the Hugo Westholm Private Upper-Secondary School of Humanities (for boys only) during the inter-war period. The school also owned the adjacent building at Kevade 4a, which served as a residence for Westholm and also had apartments for teachers. Initially the two buildings were on the same property, but the land was later divided in half.
The building was to be fully reconstructed, the outdated heating and ventilation systems replaced, a new roof installed in lieu of the hazardous existing one and a solution implemented to guarantee better heat-retention. In order to boost energy efficiency, further insulation was to be added on the inside of the exterior walls in line with heritage protection guidelines. The new heating system was designed to be a combination of underfloor and radiator-based heating. The classic lime-rendered walls in the main hall were to be restored, while the suspended ceilings throughout were to be pared back to their load-bearing elements and, in certain rooms, to the original flooring. On the basement level, the floor was to be insulated and a new floor poured. The few original tiles remaining in the building’s tiled space were to be excised for inclusion in the new flooring. A lift meeting accessibility requirements was planned for the building, with direct access from the courtyard, since the floors in the building are half a floor out compared to the ground level.
Technical data:
Building area: 605.2 m²
Closed net area: 1935.7 m²
