Bathing culture is part of the human history in every waterfront city. A public beach is a very special type of public space which must offer rest and moderate physical activity for everyone. Area concept "You are here!" notes the location in a high-quality environment, with plenty of activity, providing good rest and well-being. The design language is a hybrid of old boat fore and its opposite from round line. Combined with the triangle, the circle creates a familiar location marker on maps.
Local
Estonia
Tartu city
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-06-01
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): OÜ Kino maastikuarhitektid Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Ketlin Last name of representative: Veevo Gender: Female Nationality: Estonia If relevant, please select your other nationality: Estonia Function: office manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Kastani 42 Town: Tartu Postal code: 50410 Country: Estonia Direct Tel:+372 507 2353 E-mail:info@kinoline.ee Website:https://www.facebook.com/kinomaastikuarhitektid
Emajõe City Swimming Pool bathing spot on the left bank of the Emajõe River has already been a popular summer resort among local residents. The goal of the project was to modernise the Tartu city beach and make it more multi-purpose by improving accesibility and adding new qualities and functions, while considering the current ones by preservation of the existing natural situation.
The design language of the beach is a hybrid of the sharp points of the adjacent Lodjakoda (Barge Hall) and a contrasting circle. The circle combined with the triangle creates a familiar location marker from maps and says: “You’re here!” The beach is divided into nooks, each one with a seating and sunbathing platform and play equipment. The children’s playground is also spaced out rather than concentrated in one place. This creates places that are equal in terms of the scope of activity, but different in essence. The volleyball court and sports equipment are located separately. The latter is concentrated in exercising pockets and designed for different target groups: calisthenics equipment, outdoor gym and separate equipment for the elderly.
A boardwalk, lined with seating, has been created in the biodiverse shrubs (which is also wheelchair accessible) and a beam has been installed alongside the path as an alternative for balanced training.
There is a shallow pool in the river for children and a separate bathing area for adults, both of which continue the design language of platforms.
To get away from the beach, for a twilight break, there is a designed journey between the bushes that allows to get away for a moment from the noise, to be protected from the sun, listen to the birds and look at the plants. A boardwalk is created in the shrubbery according to the existing plants and landscape features, while taking into account that the thicket should be removed as little as possible.
Active
Recreation
Biodiversity
Multifunctional
Values
We consider it very important that sustainability, nature-friendliness and balanced development go together and make people's lives better.
The design solution is logically and seamlessly integrated to the existing preserved situation.
Various measures were used in the design of the water structures and an engineering firm was involved to prevent possible negative effects to aquatic life and affect the flow of the river as little as possible.
A boardwalk is built in the existing shrubbery for exploring nature and walking by preservation of the high greenery remaining in the area.
A regular geometry has been used for the Emajõgi River swimming pool, with the adjacent triangular volumes of the Barge Hall visually fused with a softer arc. The most
obvious example of this is the pin-shaped swim dock, which is also very practical, allowing the creation of wooden sunbathing platforms as well as a swimming platform on the river. The swim dock takes into account the flow direction of the river and creates a swimming pool with a calmer current. The whole range of wooden and met
al details used in the beach area derives from this motif. Colourful and eye-catching climbing frames, inspired by those used in the Soviet-era, add a vertical dimension and allow children to both exercise and play abstract fantasy games.
The design language of the beach's outdoor furniture is derived from the location marker icon "You are here!", which directs visitors to stay and spend time on the beach. It consists of platforms of different structures and sizes, ordinary benches with backs, covered trash cans suitable for the beach, and changing rooms. There are three types of “You’re here!” wooden platforms that allow for different things - sunbathing, having picnics, storing things, making a fire.
The floating platform continues the design language of the small platforms and is placed perpendicular to the beach. The beach side of the platform is a suitable area for sunbathing, there is a narrower walking and sitting path on the water.
Creating play equipment, it was kept in mind that a child's imagination is much more developed than that of an average adult. Wanting to encourage this rather than limit, the climbing frames have a simple form to stimulate creativity as much as possible and match the design style of the specific project.The child can create a suitable play space for himself. The climbs are with different capabilities according to the age of the climber/player, creativity, physical characteristics and level of training.
When modernising the beach area, it was taken into account that the area would have various free leisure opportunities for vacationers of different ages, and accessibility was improved significantly - access roads for walkers and cyclists have been built, and people with special needs have convenient access.
To find the best solution that benefits people and preserves nature, we worked closely with specialists. Estonian Nature Fond was advised regarding bats, swimming possibilities were discussed with winter swimmers and the movement laboratory of the University of Tartu and the Association of People with Mobility Disabilities of Tartu helped to conceptualise an inclusive urban space.
In the conditions of general urbanisation, there is an increasing need to promote healthy and active lifestyle in an urban space close to nature and bring additional amenities to recreation areas.
Involving as many user groups as possible to the planning process, we got insights into thinking through the public space from end to end in order to make it better for all users. In order for the beach to be used all year round, local winter swimmers were consulted during planning as winter swimming is an increasingly popular activity among Estonians.
The inclusive urban space was assisted by the University of Tartu Movement Laboratory, the Tartu Association of People with Mobility Impairments.
As Tartu is also increasingly becoming a cycling city, while planning it was important to keep in mind the convenient access to the area when using light traffic roads.
To create value for the local community, sports and children's attractions for public use are planned on the Emajõe City Swimming Pool beach area: swings, climbing equipment, a slide and a basketball hoop.
During the project we communicated lot of target groups.
Most important were winter swimmers community and people with special needs. We made it possible for winter swimmers to get the place for their own small house for changing clothes. For wheelchairs there is possibility to access water and wooden path in the forest has special security edges for wheekchairs to use it and also can wheelchair people use tables for picnics and enjoy walk path in the forest and beach.
The success of the renovation of the Emajõe City Swimming Pool once again emphasises the importance of good team cooperation.
In our team, in addition to landscape architects, were also biologist, engineers, builders and also local people. We covered every question that might rise during the process. People from different fields worked together, enriched each other with different knowledge.
For creating playground with the best quality and safety playground producer with 50 years experience and knowledge was involved to the process starting from planning. The aesthetics of playgrounds are based on simplicity, clarity and minimalism, carried out clean, slim, strong welded pipe construction, without distracting elements.
"Tartu action of the year 2022" - the citizens of Tartu voted the renovation of the Emajõe City Swimming Pool as the most important action of the year 2022.
It reflects the strong connection of the city's inhabitants with nature and the desire to spend time actively in the fresh air.
Emajõe Linnaujula has been well received by the residents and guests of the city as it offers leisure opportunities for all age groups. The beach area was heavily used by people throughout the bathing season, and thanks to the providing winter bathing opportunities, it can be used all year round
In play areas we used abstract play equipment instead of things that are common in waterfronts- ships, fish etc. We believe that children need mental space to think out games themselves instead of fulfilling just blank spots in the pre-thought game threads.
Customers usually do not specify any fundamental or global topics. Therefore, it is for landscape architects to define them, as the starting points influence the choice of theoretical methodologies, the spatial structure as well as the choice of the materials, thus creating the foundation for the whole design.
The influence of the coronavirus can be seen in all the designs that have a temporal link with the period of the pandemic. Both the wooden platforms of the Emajõe City Swimming Pool in Tartu allow being on one’s own and separating into smaller groups. Said network design has been used to place objects and create activity niches, while leaving the possibility to create more of them as needed within the given framework.
Customers usually do not specify any fundamental or global topics. Therefore, it is for landscape architects to define them, as the starting points influence the choice of theoretical methodologies, the spatial structure as well as the choice of the materials, thus creating the foundation for the whole design.
The influence of the coronavirus can be seen in all the designs that have a temporal link withthe period of the pandemic.
Wooden platforms of the Emajõgi River Swimming Pool allow for being on one’s own and separating into smaller groups. Said network design has been used to place
objects and create activity niches, while leaving the possibility to create more of them as needed within the given framework.
Keeping the biodivers beach area was cahllange. There ws pressure to replace water plants area with sand to get more beach space. We kept the plants with ducks nests and other living places and made it possible for people to access them and experience different waterfront impression than just beach life.
