The Estonian National Museum founded 1909 in Tartu. It is devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt’s heritage, to Estonian ethnography and folk art. The first items for the museum were originally collected in the latter part of the 19th century.
The new building’s grand opening took place in Autumn 2016.
The outer form is divided into a clean-cut white concrete building mass characterized by a sculptural glass entrance facade towards the lake. Also a covered public outdoor auditorium facing south. Offices remain in a more tolerant building. The two buildings are connected by a tunnel.
Glassense produced the facade and roof with triple IGU-s. Also, cold facade with silk-printed Side-One, Low-iron glass. To get high natural light transmission while ensuring energy savings and solar protection, SunGuard SN 62/34 was chosen. Totally we delivered about 10 000 square meters.
For the River of Light at Echo of the Urals exhibiton we delivered special tempered Low-iron laminated glasses that is safe to walk on. The glasses have been laminated together with decorative Vanceva foils to receive the blue tone.
To carry the visitors seamlessly through the display, a river of light was designed, dividing and uniting the areas presenting the main ethnic groups. Animated fish swim along the LED screen river. Once a visitor steps onto the bluish glowing river, the fish swim away startled. When people stand still, the curious fish return. Sound solution mimics the river movement, splashing and gurgling like a real brook.
In 2005 the Estonian Ministry of Culture and the Union of Estonian Architects announced together with the museum an international competition for the Estonian National Museum’s new building. The project was won by an international collaboration of architects for the work Memory Field: Dan Dorell, Lina Ghotmeh, and Tsuyoshi Tane.
The Estonian National Museum is the largest museum in Estonia with nearly 6,000 m² of exhibition space. The museum tracks the history, life and traditions of the Estonian people, presents the culture and history of other Finno-Ugric peoples, and the minorities in Estonia.
