SILCS Viimsi Design Charette - Tallin 2011

Last week myself and around 10 other postgraduate architecture, engineering and sustainable architecture students spent the week in Tallin, Estonia as part of a urban design exercise which focused on connecting Tallin with the town of Viimsi, which lies around ten miles north of the Estonian capital.

Three groups had two and half days to produce a concept that regenerated the centre of Viimsi as well as investigating potential links back to Tallin, thus presenting an integrated transport and redevelopment strategy. In conclusion each group then presented their proposals to the mayor of Viimsi as well as Viimsi municipality representives, local architects and town planners.

The programme is funded by a European research grant and is part of a wider initiative that is designed to investigate and establish best practice in sustainable development and transport links across Europe.

Overall the exercise was incredibly useful in developing rapid design, representation, presentation skills as well as, for those of us who were group leaders, team leadership and co-ordination skills.