In ancient times, people of power realized massive constructions purely by exploiting their incredible divine power: they just told their underlings to organize, by forcing ordinary people and slaves to erect a colossal monument, say, a pyramid. And they did not overemphasize the fact that sometimes thousands of people died because of an almost inhuman effort. They knew that a pyramid or some other kind of monument, a temple, for example, had to be made for it was a word of God. These kinds of edifices remain to this day, not only admirable but also somewhat dark and morbid objects of culture and history. There is nothing very much actually to do in these places anymore, but these places still tell so much about the ancient past of humanity.
Today we have another problem: no-one will think of forcing people to die constructing some monumental complex, and neither does any decent person want people to die of polluted environment.
In Aidu in North-Eastern Estonia, we witness a complex and simple situation where the in-built human drive to create something monumental, almost divine, comes together with natural, almost inevitable resources from Earth&#8217;s ground. In here lies a vast area of oil shale mines, set to produce just enough natural waste-material to create an architectural environment instead of just piling the mass of Earth up on a high stack. The excavating will continue for precisely 20 years during which time it is possible to found this large Aidu Pyramid ground, housing endless different activities from restaurants, beaches, museums, places for sports activities to vine cellars and graveyards. And the best thing is that no human has to sacrifice a life for a monumental outcome. Aidu oil shale mine&#8217;s waste-material will be arranged in a way to give something back to people. Also reminding at the same time ancient times and giving a very remote place like Aidu a fair chance to become a real part of Estonia again. An area, which people can visit with enjoyment, not just abandon it after decades of exploitation, excavating oil shale for electricity.
Text by Urmas Oja

Team

Scale Model

Photography

Aidu Pyramid

Arcwood by Peetri Puit is an Estonian company that produces engineered wood products from laminated wood to CLT panels with a big part of the work being custom made orders. Their new factory, opened in 2016, is located in Põlva, southern Estonia.
Initially, the intention was to build two separate buildings – an office and a simple factory building. During the work process, those two merged together with the office block acting as a presentable entrance for both employees of the office as well as workers of the factory. Cylindrical columns in front of the door create a unique landscape that continues in the courtyard.
The entire complex was constructed out of wood &#8211; the main load-bearing construction is made from laminated timber while CLT panels are used for walls. All of the structures are displayed and visible. Exterior wood elements are protected from the sun, wind and rain with a double facade made out of glass. This creates a half exterior half interior space that can be used by the employees as a balcony.
Wood is a primary theme throughout the complex, it continues in the interior architecture, in the office block, as well as in the factory part of the building. Bare wood construction elements create a warm and friendly interior space in the usually cold and empty production facility. Skylights, located right above the workstations, let in some natural light to the closed factory.