The Krulli Steelworks has a long industrial history since its establishment in 1899. Today, the site houses large and empty halls surrounded by pioneering nature. In 2021, a first master plan was proposed by Estonian architect Andres Alver to envision a new future for the industrial district. Cobe’s master plan revisits and builds upon this master plan.
The vision for the master plan builds on the existing qualities and context: the rich history of the site, the new layers of pioneering nature, the flexible formerly industrial spaces, and the quarter’s overarching master plan developed by Estonian architect Andres Alver.
The former steelwork is transformed into a lively urban neighborhood, combining old and new buildings with a dense network of public spaces - indoor and outdoor.
The goal of the project has been to integrate a new urban, landscape and architectural sensibility, transforming the area into a mixed-use city district, focusing on entrepreneurial community, and providing 600 new homes, and 3,000 new workplaces.
Woven in between the existing industrial buildings and facades, a series of newly imagined urban spaces shape the central spine of the area. These spaces offer a variety of public functions, designed to work in all times of day and throughout all seasons.
from city to buildings
to building parts
Multiple building structures and components from the former steelwork are located on site as traces of its industrial history. Today, several events and initiatives are emerging in the old industrial area. Images: Cobe, Krulli Kvartal.
“We firmly believe in urban transformation and in reusing what already exists. In the context of climate change and resource scarcity, the most sustainable and meaningful project will always be the one that is already built. Following this principle, the Krulli site is a treasure box of materials, buildings and urban qualities just waiting to be transformed and reused. The project prioritizes reuse goals that make both environmental and economic sense, forming the foundation of the Krulli identity. A ‘resource stair’ approach establishes a hierarchy for all materials found on site and any new additions. Reuse is always the highest priority, followed by biogenic materials, and then re-usable materials, leaving carbon intensive concrete as the last choice”,
Cobe Founder, Dan Stubbergaard
A “playbook” for the area investigates the potentials of reusing and transforming existing building structures and components on all scales, as well as a mapping of the local identity through materials and colors found in the steelworks.
By reusing elements found on site - from materials, to building components, and entire buildings, as well as mapping the local identity through colors and materiality – the master plan takes its starting point in a comprehensive transformation strategy, forming the foundation of the future Krulli identity.
The “Playbook” ensures a diversity of transformation approaches as the foundation of maintaining local identities in future developments.
to future innovation
The innovation hub will be a publicly accessible winter garden and gathering space. Here, the existing heritage building structures are combined with the new timber structure and reused roof structure.
Three former industrial heritage halls will be transformed into an innovation hub, which will also be a public meeting place. The design is based on a comprehensive transformation strategy, reusing as much as possible of the existing building structures and components.
The design of the innovation hub is a showcase of transformation, reuse and heritage renovation, allowing for distinct design approaches in the preservation, reuse, and transformation of each building.
The master plan’s comprehensive transformation strategy is executed on a building scale. This includes mapping of the three halls’ existing building components, which can be reused or re-purposed in new ways.
The superstructure of the three existing halls are utilized for the flexibility of their long structural spans and generous ceiling heights. New workshops, labs, and retail spaces of timber construction are nested into the volumes of the halls. In two of the halls, a new 4-storey timber office volume is inserted and peaks through its roof line as a delicate wood and glass construction.
The three halls are combined with new clusters of timber constructed boxes, connected by the existing industrial cranes used as bridges.
The atrium space of the new office insertion is shaped by its timber construction and the re-purposed industrial cranes which are employed as bridges. This structure creates a flexible floor layout, meeting the needs of the offices and public functions.
The ambitions for lowering CO₂ emissions are high, the project aims for a solution that both includes transformation, timber construction, and re-use of existing materials, together lowering the CO₂-footprint with -65% - compared to an average new office building.
The design approach for the innovation hub is based on a ‘resource stair’ approach. One which establishes a stepped hierarchy, with preservation-in-place as the highest priority, followed by the upcycling of existing building parts, then the use of new biogenic materials, and finally using new and recycled materials. In this mindset, carbon intensive new materials like concrete is considered an option of last-resort.
The design approach of the innovation hub is based on a ‘resource stair’ approach.
The heritage protected building’s structural facade, columns and selected roof trusses will be preserved. The trusses are taken into service to create a long-span, flexible top floor of the timber office building insertion and define the shape of its roof-line. The industrial cranes become bridges connecting the building horizontally. The gable-end of the building is reinterpreted and restablished in crushed limestone waste.
A selection of how existing building components are reused, giving life to the new structure.
New timber structures are placed within the existing spaces in a checkerboard arrangement of alternately open and enclosed spaces. On the ground floor, this maximizes the interfaces between publicly accessible and commercial spaces.
The new innovation hub will house co-working spaces, cafés, shops, artist studios, and exhibitions. Offering a wide range of activities, it will begin fostering an urban vitality and kickstart the development of the Krulli neighborhood.
