Arvo Pärt Centre / Arvo Pärdi Keskuse

Väike Sekund attracted the jury with its delicate, simple, yet clever design. It has a beautifully balanced relationship between nature and architecture, letting the surrounding forest play the main part in the room experience and damaging the soil as little as possible.

Väike Sekund was considered by the jury as the best cloister-like solution in the competition, due to the innovative shifting of the courtyard in relation to the outside perimeter, which gives more flexibility to the room plan. This geometrical-mathematical two-layered solution recalls somewhat Arvo Pärt ́s personal tintinnabuli technique and resonates with his music quite well. The entrance from under a corner of the building into the courtyard is an attractive idea yet seems somewhat out of scale considering the steepness and length of the „tunnel“ – could it be a low, dark and damp experience?

All rooms have outside-facing windows and the room layout is well arranged, but with limited flexibility, as small changes could affect the essence of the building. According to the room plan there is no required exhibition space, and working rooms are placed to the north, where the only direct source of light would be through the internal courtyard. Also placing the archive on the „bridge“ above the ground (above the entrance) raises questions on engineering and security grounds.

Simple form and simple materials create a calm and elegant room experience. However, the jury feels that the wooden beams surrounding the building will diminish the open connection with the nature, as well as limit light considerably, as it shines through the trellises, but only directly, not from an angle. As the construction is like a balcony, with parts of the building being off the ground (many open surfaces) the concern of energy efficiency must be weighed.