Vision of VAREM by Aabel Sonn
On June 8th 2026, the traditional construction workshop of first-year Architecture and Urban Design students from the Estonian Academy of Arts began next to the Annelinn Library in Tartu. This year’s shelter, titled Varem, focuses on the life cycle of buildings and material reuse, offering the local community a new type of gathering place.
The shelter Varem tells the story of the final stage in a building’s life cycle—a period when the building’s active life has seemingly come to an end, yet its path toward a new cycle has not yet been found. While decline is usually followed by demolition and oblivion, Varem seeks to provide a solution precisely for this intermediate phase. In this way, the remnants of buildings are transformed into a pleasant and multifunctional structure.
The project was designed by EKA architecture student Jako Julius Schmid, whose proposal was selected from among the student projects developed during the studio course. According to Schmid, the shelter’s appearance has been strongly shaped by the principle of reuse.
“In the design process, we prioritized materials sourced from the second life cycle of buildings over new raw materials. By giving old materials new life and purpose, the shelter encourages people to think about how to reinterpret what has been left behind by time and how to connect the existing with the new,” explained Schmid.
The structure rising beside the Annelinn Library consists of walls built from the remnants of demolished buildings, interwoven with wooden benches. According to the author, the layout has been designed so that every visitor can find a suitable place for themselves: both more private areas enclosed by taller walls and open seating areas where people can enjoy views characteristic of Annelinn and interact with their neighbors.
According to Helena Männa, one of the studio instructors, this year’s project is about diversifying urban space.
“Annelinn, figuratively speaking, was built all at once. This means that it lacks the different historical layers that make urban space more diverse and multifaceted. Varem is a kind of social experiment that explores how new layers of public space can be created,” said Männa.
The construction of shelters has been part of the first-year building practice course since 2006. The aim of the program is to give students hands-on experience in both design and the realities of the construction process. Within the limited construction period, the course must prepare the site, build the structure, and resolve the problems and contradictions that inevitably arise. For future architects, this is their first major practical project, where they encounter both the challenge of developing their designs into buildable structures and the realities of construction itself.
Construction work in Annelinn will continue from 8 to 18 June, and the official opening of the shelter will take place on 18 June at 6:00 p.m. The students are supervised by Helena Männa, Elina Liiva, and Margus Tammik.
VAREM Team (AL25):
Design and Planning:
Jako Julius Schmid, Sigrid Anton, Liis Reinvee
Construction:
Aabel Sonn, Alisa Titova, Andra Press, Anita Liis Otsus, Andrei Pustovalov, Artur Tani, Carolyn Jacqueline Raba, Diana Vaker, Emma Erin Meri, Jako Julius Schmid, Karmen Viilup, Karoli Maria Krause, Liis Reinvee, Mariell Õismets, Mirtel Rist, Sigrid Anton, Sonja Koidu.
The construction of the shelter is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment, the City of Tartu, Weber, Raitwood, Vormest, Põhjala, Leibur, the Estonian Museum of Architecture, Funrent, Red Bull, Tamrex, and Maja magazine.