Ülemiste Terminal building, Tallinn railway station by Zaha Hadid, ZHA Estonian architecture images

Ülemiste Terminal in Tallinn, Estonia

Futuristic Railway Station in Estonia design by Zaha Hadid Architects, UK

post updated 7 June 2024

Cornerstone laid at Ülemiste Passenger Terminal

Design: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) with architecture and engineering firm Esplan

Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Renders by Negativ

Rail Baltica Ulemiste Passenger Terminal

Marking the start of construction works, the cornerstone has been laid at the site of the new Ülemiste Passenger Terminal in Tallinn.

A multi-modal transport hub for the city’s commuters as well as international rail passengers and air travellers using the adjacent Tallinn Airport, the Ülemiste Passenger Terminal is designed as a connecting bridge linking together districts of Tallinn currently separated by the railway tracks that disect the city.

Opening in 2028, Tallinn’s Ülemiste terminal will be the northern terminus of the new 870-kilometre Rail Baltica electrified railway now under-construction. Providing passenger services at speeds up to 249km/h, Rail Baltica will connect Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with the European high-speed rail network in Poland.

Zaha Hadid Architects developed the design with leading Estonian architecture and engineering firm Esplan. Circulation routes through the terminal have determined the station’s spatial geometry to aid navigation and the seamless integration of the city’s bus, tram, rail and cycle networks that intersect at the terminus.

Incorporating a modular structural system built in phases to enable ongoing operations on the rail lines throughout construction, the terminal has been designed and planned to BREEAM benchmarks and guidelines.

Estonia’s Climate Minister, Kristen Michal, said: “We have been dreaming of a fast connection to Europe. This is a landmark year in the construction of Rail Baltica – in addition to laying the cornerstone of the Ülemiste terminal, the construction of the main line has also begun. Building a high-quality connection will provide a much-needed new opportunity for the Estonia’s people and its economy.”

Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility, Magda Kopczynska, said: “Rail Baltica is a European, Baltic and Estonian project. The Baltic States must be connected to the European rail network, both in order to ensure the security of supply chains, comfortable travel, economic development and, last but not least, our common European security. The European Commission has been and will remain a strong supporter of Rail Baltica.”

Chairman of the Rail Baltic Estonia management board, Anvar Salomets, said: “Until just a few years ago, we could not have believed that we could have celebrated the laying of the cornerstone for Ülemiste Terminal. The implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Estonia has been both effective and efficient, and in four years’ time, we invite everyone to the opening of Rail Baltica Ülemiste terminal.”

Rail Baltica Ulemiste Passenger Terminal Tallinn, Estonia – Building Information

Project Team

Competition Stage:

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Board Directors: Patrik Schumacher, Gianluca Racana
ZHA Project Directors: Ludovico Lombardi, Michele Salvi
ZHA Design Team: Luciano Letteriello, Kate Revyakina, Serra Pakalin, Yuzhi Xu, Anthony Awanis, Hendrik Rupp, Mauro Sabiu

Design Stages:

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
ZHA Board Directors: Patrik Schumacher, Gianluca Racana
ZHA Project Directors: Ludovico Lombardi, Michele Salvi
ZHA Project Leads: Luciano Letteriello, Marco Guardincerri
ZHA Design team: Zrinka Radic, Amittai Antoine, Richard Maekallas, Davide del Giudice, Alexsandra Fisher, Jose Navarrete Deza, Mauro Sabiu, Adam Twigger

Consultants:

Local Architect: Esplan OU
Engineering: Esplan OU

Previously on e-architect:

8 Nov 2019

Ülemiste Terminal

Design: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)

Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Zaha Hadid Architects (UK) working with Esplan (Estonia) have been have been awarded first place in the design competition for the new Ülemiste Terminal of the Rail Baltic railway in Tallinn.

Rail Baltic is a planned 870 km electrified railway from Tallinn in Estonia to the Lithuanian-Polish border. The terminal will be the starting point of the Rail Baltic line connecting Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius with the European high-speed rail network.

The Ülemiste terminal is designed as a connecting public bridge used by the local community as well as multi-modal transport hub for commuters, national and international rail passengers in addition to air travelers using the adjacent Tallinn airport.

Circulation routes through the building have determined the station’s spatial geometry to aid navigation and the smooth integration of bus, tram and rail lines that intersect at the terminus.

Incorporating a modular structural system built in phases to enable ongoing operations on the rail lines throughout construction, the station has been designed and planned to BREEAM benchmarks and guidelines.

“I have been constantly informed about the developments in the Ülemiste area and in light of the works presented to the public today, I am more than convinced that the area is becoming one of the most attractive and, in terms of infrastructure, synergistic in Tallinn. A true multi-modal transport hub is emerging, with rail, bus and air traffic coming together there in the future,” said Taavi Aas, Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure.

Rail Baltic Estonia announced the international design competition for the terminal station in Ülemiste in May 2019. The competition ended on September 3.

The nine-member jury included Rail Baltic Estonia manager Riia Sillave, Pro Kapital Eesti AS board member Allan Remmelkoor, Estonian Railways development manager Andrus Noor and member of the supervisory board of Mainor Ulemiste Andrus Kaldalu. Architects on the jury included former chief architect of Tallinn Endrik Mand and the author of the structural plan for the Ulemiste area, Mattias Agabus, Janis Dripe, former Latvian minister of culture, and Danish architects Jesper Gottlieb and Thomas Grave-Larsen.

Ülemiste Terminal, Estonia – Building Information

Client: Rail Baltica Estonia
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Design: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Director: Gianluca Racana
ZHA Project Directors: Ludovico Lombardi, Michele Salvi
ZHA Project Team: Luciano Letteriello, Kate Revyakina, Serra Pakalin, Yuzhi Xu, Anthony Awanis, Hendrik Rupp, Davide del Giudice
Local Executive Architect: Esplan