Fat Margaret Fat Margaret

Fat Margaret

Reconstruction of mid age cannon tower for maritime museum

Fat Margaret was built around the 1520s on the site of a former rose garden and is today part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Old Town of Tallinn. In the 19th century, the tower became a prison and auxiliary buildings were added. Since 1981, the complex has housed the Estonian Maritime Museum.

Recently, the building was fully reconstructed for the new permanent exhibition, and a new building was erected in the courtyard for the display of a mediaeval shipwreck.

The walls of the tower are six metres thick, leaving little room for displaying exhibits. The previous movement plan, which relied on a single staircase, created repetitions and dead ends for the visitor.

Therefore, it seemed best to add a cylindrical glass elevator in the centre of the tower and dig out another floor under the medieval wall to connect the tower with the courtyard from below. The lowering of the courtyard by one floor level helped to create the necessary height to accommodate the shipwreck so that it would not look pressed against the ceiling.

Client
Estonian Maritime Museum
Open architecture competition
2016, 1. place
Completed
2019
Size
1900 m2
Architects
Raivo Kotov, Andrus Kõresaar, Indrek Mikk, Ingrid Viskus
Interior architects
Raili Paling, Liis Lindvere, Kadri Kaldam
Exhibition design, lighting for permanent exhibition
InPhysica: Raul Kalvo, Helen Oja
Construction
Acres
Awards:
  • 2020 Estonian Association of Architectural and Consulting Engineering companies (EAACEC) / Construction Project of the Year
View to the terrace cafeteria View to the terrace cafeteria
View to the terrace cafeteria
Main hall Main hall
Main hall

The space around the cog follows the irregular forms of the courtyard and the walls while creating a faceted dome and an expanse above the ship.

At the edges of the space, there are UV-resistant light tunnels that present a view of the outer walls at the top of their height. Inside the building, the faceted shape of the ceiling makes it possible to project a starry sky and a historical navigation map above the ship. During the construction of the space for the ship, a part of a medieval street was discovered and has also been preserved. 

The wreck of a 15th-century cog-type ship was discovered not long ago during the excavations of Tallinn’s seaside development on the former seabed, where the ship’s hull had been preserved. The exceptional hanging solution needed to display the shipwreck was created in cooperation with MEC Marine Engineering.

The hull and cavities of the ship were scanned to create a mould and place a metal skeleton as inconspicuously as possible between the planking layers, which would help suspend the wreck so weightlessly that it would appear to be floating.

On the roof of Fat Margaret, there is an open-air cafe with minimalist design offering unparalleled views of the Old Town.

 

View to kog hall View to kog hall
View to kog hall
Drone view Drone view
Drone view
Kogge hall view Kogge hall view
Kogge hall view
3D section 3D section
3D section
Ground and First floor plan Ground and First floor plan
Ground and First floor plan
Second and fifth floor plan Second and fifth floor plan
Second and fifth floor plan

Photos: Hendrik Osula, Kaupo Kalda, Andrus Kõresaar, Tõnu Tunnel

KOKO architects Facebook KOKO architects Instagram KOKO architects LinkedIn
KOKO architects 2024