Opening at June 18th 2026. Photo by Evelin Lumi
On June 18th EKA architecture students unveiled a new shelter, Varem, next to the Annelinn Library in Tartu. This year’s structure focuses on material reuse and offers local residents a place to slow down and take a break.
The shelter Varem draws inspiration from the final stage of a building’s life cycle, when its original use has ended but a new purpose has not yet been found. This transitional state often leaves ruins behind in the urban landscape—structures that carry memories of former life but are frequently perceived as uninviting and useless. Varem explores how this waiting period can be transformed into valuable public space and how the remnants of a building can be given an entirely new meaning.
The project was designed by EKA architecture student Jako Julius Schmid, whose proposal was selected from among the student projects. According to Schmid, constructing the shelter provided young architects with valuable experience and confidence as they develop professionally.
“The difference between a drawing on paper and actual construction became immediately clear to us on site. Many tasks took three times longer than we had planned. At the same time, some stages proved easier than expected. For example, pouring the concrete foundation seemed mysterious right up until construction day, but thanks to a professional team it went very smoothly. Bricklaying and woodworking are also skills that we were able to develop significantly during the building process. In the end, these two weeks proved to us that, by working together as a unified team, we can accomplish anything,” said Schmid.
Local residents showed great interest in the project even while it was being built. “People regularly stopped by to ask what we were doing. Since our students have previously built shelters in Annelinn, people understood that something new and exciting was coming. Local residents enjoy seeing new additions appear in their living environment,” Schmid explained.
The shelter will remain on the grassy site for five years. At present, besides the local sheep, it is the only attraction on the otherwise empty plot. Helena Männa, one of the studio instructors, hopes the area will look very different in five years’ time.
“The idea behind building these shelters is to play with the space around us. Because Annelinn is visually quite uniform, the shelter created by the students offers local residents a more diverse urban environment where they can slow down and relax. Hopefully, even years from now, it will still contain something that sparks the interest of passers-by,” said Männa.
The construction of shelters has been part of the first-year building practice course since 2006. Its purpose is to provide students with hands-on experience in both design and construction. For future architects, it is their first major practical project, requiring them to develop a design into a buildable structure and engage directly with the realities of construction.
The students were supervised by architects Helena Männa, Elina Liiva, and Margus Tammik.
The shelter was built by first year students 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, and Sonja Koidu.
In addition to EKA, the completion of the shelter was supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment, the City of Tartu, Climagen, Weber, Raitwood, Rudus, Vormest, Põhjala, Leibur, the Estonian Museum of Architecture, Funrent, Red Bull, Tamrex, and Maja magazine.
