Skyscrapes

The key problem of the past decade has been how to signify us culturally and consequently assert ourselves as a nation state, at the same time securing and demonstrating our essential position in the Western cultural scene. Analogous tendency is probably common to all the Eastern European and the Baltic States after the fall of the "iron curtain".

The most powerful visualisation of this trend in Estonia is the change in urban space and the formation of new architectural environment. Rapid and partly chaotic development of Tallinn city centre is an interesting cultural phenomenon. The new successful generation of the 1990s needed scale and splendour to demonstrate its status. Economic growth and prosperity brought along something unprecedented in the urban context. High buildings from glass and shiny metal have risen in the central part of Tallinn during few years, creating the new image of rapidly developing city. The first generation capitalist dreams about skyscrapers is equally understood symbol and the new buildings use this language maybe even too unpretentiously, as some nationalists think. At the same time these buildings serve the interests of the success-story of Estonian state and nation and promoting it to the rest of the world.

For the citizens this progress means a whole new urban experience, which is characterised by the synthesis of historic and modern architecture. The urban situation that has been forming during these few years foresees in addition to existing high buildings in the former industrial and living quarter the erection of several more. Such a concentration of buildings doesn't really harm the historical atmosphere because it hasn't been preserved in its entirety but adds an interesting cluster of high-rise buildings to the city skyline and on the street level communicates with some small lovely wooden and beautiful art nouveau houses. The direction of this progress has been somewhat occasional but the new architectural environment creates new variations and perspectives.