Schmidt Hammer Lassen masterplans eco-town for Estonia

Schmidt Hammer Lassen is working on the masterplan for an 481,000m2 eco-town, named EcoBay, overlooking the Baltic Sea near Tallinn in Estonia, to house 6,000 people.

The architect is designing the town, to be built on the Paljassaare peninsula over the next 15-20 years, in collaboration with engineering consultant Buro Happold and Møller & Grønborg Landscape Architects.

EcoBay will be sited partly on reclaimed land, with dunes to be constructed to protect against the bitter Baltic winds, and will use wind farms to generate power.

Within the town, building heights will be staggered to maximise the potential for capturing solar gain and reduce heat loss caused by overshadowing. To reduce car use, a mix of vital functions will be located within a mile of the centre and a tramline is under consideration.

Consideration of factors such as orientation, materials, water use and energy sources will combine to reduce energy in EcoBay's homes by up to 70%, according to Buro Happold.

Morten Holm, partner at Schmidt Hammer Lassen, said: “We are convinced that we must find solutions to the challenges we have in our society - both social and environmental. How do we create a sustainable masterplan? How do we ensure a diverse city with an appropriate social mix; and a city which is active around the clock? These are some of the challenges we have been working to solve with EcoBay.”