12.02.2024Mainor Ülemiste Buys 51% of Technopolis Ülemiste Shares and Becomes the Largest Owner of Office Real Estate in Estonia   

Mainor Ülemiste signed an agreement to purchase 51% of Technopolis Ülemiste shares, thereby once again becoming the sole developer of Ülemiste City. The transaction will enter into force once approved by the Competition Authority.  

Fifteen years ago, the largest business campus in the Baltics was solely owned by Ülo Pärnits. However, in 2010, Mainor Ülemiste and the Finnish stock exchange company Technopolis Plc created a joint venture, Technopolis Ülemiste, of which Estonians owned 49% and Technopolis 51%. Approximately one-third of the developed land in Ülemiste City became the property of Technopolis.  

Guido Pärnits, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Mainor Ülemiste and the primary owner of Ülemiste City relishes the opportunity to buy a company that will enable the effective development of Ülemiste City as a unique hub for smart business. "My father sold a significant part of his business in a difficult year, and we are making a long-planned buyback transaction also in an economically difficult time, which may seem like a somewhat unexpected step. In any case, he would be happy for us. Difficulties are there to become stronger and wiser by overcoming them."  

"The deal that my father signed with Technopolis in 2010 gave us more development capacity, and we have realized these opportunities with both campus developers, including Technopolis Ülemiste, until today. Even though our participation in Technopolis Ülemiste was 49%, we have been able to move Ülemiste City forward as a whole, and it is noteworthy that the equity capital of Technopolis Ülemiste has increased significantly in those years," explained Guido Pärnits. "Of course, the parent company Mainor AS has played a key role in the conceptual development of the campus, but we cannot underestimate the contribution of Technopolis as a partner. However, in recent years, we realized that their development has slowed down, and their decision to sell the company came at the right moment, in my opinion. Looking back at everything we have been able to achieve in a relatively short time, and to be successful not only in our own business activities but also a strong and substantial partner for the city of Tallinn and the state of Estonia, it was our wish to buy Technopolis ourselves and thus become the largest office real estate developer in Estonia."  

The company, which will become whole again, has nearly 30 hectares of land to be developed on the campus and, according to detailed plans, 500,000 m2 of undeveloped land. In 18 years, a total of 167,000 m2 of office space, health centers and residential areas have been developed in Ülemiste City. A new health center and an educational quarter with a community building are currently being built. So far, developments have been made for 300 million euros, while the investment volume of Technopolis Ülemiste makes up approximately one-third of this.  

The new company will acquire almost a fifth of the office real estate targeted for the market in Tallinn.  

08.02.2024The New Educational Quarter of Ülemiste City Reached Its Full Height  

On Thursday, Ülemiste City marked a milestone with a rafter party in its new Educational Quarter. Upon completion of the first stage, slated for early 2025, the International School of Tallinn will commence operations alongside the opening of the Ülemiste community building.

"For the nearly two thousand international talents working in Ülemiste City, the location of educational institutions such as the International School of Tallinn and Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences is of great value on campus. The full range of educational services allows you to come to work on the campus conveniently because children can be sent to an IB-accredited school," said Ursel Velve, Chairman of the Board of Mainor Ülemiste. "The rapidly growing school is cramped in the existing building, and that's why we decided to start building a new Educational Quarter with a community building in Ülemiste City at a difficult time in the real estate sector."


Ursel Velve expressed her satisfaction that the construction company NOBE OÜ team delivered quickly and the building has already reached its full height. "We plan to hand over the new building with accompanying play, sports and recreation areas to the International School of Tallinn and the entire Ülemiste City community in the first quarter of 2025. We hope that the new center will become a real heart of the community, where people of different ages and cultures enjoy togetherness, sports and other exciting joint activities," she added.

According to Olavi Otepalu, the Director of the International School of Tallinn, modern space is essential in shaping the learning experience. "The new building has both invigorating greenery and comfortable sports areas. We have planned the interior spaces to invite young people to move," he said.

"Given the rapidly increasing demand for international education in Estonia, we are pleased to welcome students from over 50 countries to our new environment. The quality of IB education is highly esteemed by top universities, attracting a growing number of local families to our school," explained the Director. "Moreover, beyond serving as a school, the new building will function as a genuine community center, welcoming all members of our international campus to participate in joint events, hobby groups, childcare, and sports activities."

"For NOBE, the building process of the Ülemiste Educational Quarter has been an engaging and educational journey. We have also learned and developed ourselves by constructing a building where school education will soon be provided," said the Construction Director and Board Member of NOBE, Priit Nigols. "Today's rafter party, which marks an important milestone in the project, is like ending one semester at school - we hope that our efforts are worthy of a grade of 5 in the eyes of the client. We thank the client and the subcontractor teams for their constructive and result-oriented cooperation."



In the first phase, NOBE will construct a building for the International School of Tallinn covering approximately 6,000 square meters in gross floor area at Valukoja 9, along with the Ülemiste community building. The total construction cost amounts to approximately 11.5 million euros, excluding VAT.

Currently, the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences (Mainor), International School of Tallinn, offering services from kindergarten to high school, Emili School, and Kalli-kalli kindergarten are located in Ülemiste City. However, due to the planned construction of the Rail Baltica terminal and the growing demand for educational services, new educational facilities are being built in the heart of the Ülemiste campus.

The architectural design for the Ülemiste Educational Quarter project was created by 3+1 Architects, while TajuRuum landscape architects shaped the outdoor space. The project is financed by OP Corporate Bank.

02.01.2024Ursel Velve continues as Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS  

The Supervisory Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS, which is developing Ülemiste City, has decided to extend the tenure of Ursel Velve, who is the head of the largest business campus in the Baltics, as the Chairman of the Board for the upcoming three years.

"Ursel's work so far as the CEO of Mainor Ülemiste have been fast and fruitful, and Ülemiste City has developed comprehensively and based on the vision as an innovation, work, living and learning environment," said Guido Pärnits, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS.


"The most modern and greenest office building in Ülemiste City, the Alma Tominga building, has been completed, with which we became one of the leaders in the office real estate sector. In 2023, we took first place in Äripäev’s Real Estate Companies TOP. We started the construction of two very important buildings for the campus – a new Health Center and an Educational Quarter, and signed an agreement with Ericsson Eesti AS to bring their new smart production and technology hub to Ülemiste City. The added value of Ülemiste City companies has increased by a total of 300 million euros between 2020 and 2022," commented Ursel Velve, summarizing three years.

Velve is pleased to continue the current work, which is not only interesting and important from the developer's point of view, but has also caught the eye of companies operating on the campus: "We are grateful that customers notice our efforts. 73% of Ülemiste City customers recommend us to a friend or acquaintance, which is on the same level as Amazon and even higher than Apple and Google. In addition, Ülemiste City’s popularity among the Estonian population is over 80%, which is a very strong result."

"We entered a completely new field of services for real estate developers and, in cooperation with Mainor AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS, created new data-based services such as Green City and we offer the companies the opportunity to use the campus as a testing environment through our Test City program," noted Velve. "In my next working period, I would like to continue with the same ambitious real estate development activities, open a new Health Center and Educational Quarter in Ülemiste City to the community and service providers, and start the construction of two new office buildings to ensure expansion opportunities for good customers. It is important to ensure mutual business activities of the large Ülemiste community, which is why we continue to develop a special offers platform. In creating the environment, we emphasize the creation of a high-quality and human-friendly urban space," commented Velve and added that she considers improving accessibility to be the biggest challenge of Ülemiste City. "We would like to develop an updated public transport plan together with the city of Tallinn to ensure convenient public transport and cycling options for existing and new customers of the campus, including employees of the future Ericsson development hub. For this, it is extremely important to create a safe bike path infrastructure together with the tunnels created under Rail Baltica."

Velve certainly wants to continue leading innovation projects in the upcoming three years. "Innovation is already inscribed in our DNA, and in order to continue to offer added value to companies, we continue to develop the successfully launched Test City concept with three new business models a year," she noted. "Of course, we must also continue to bring innovative solutions to real estate development – here the principles of the Green Tiger construction road map in the development process and BIM models in administration are our guiding principles."

Guido Pärnits also confirms that the next three years will undoubtedly bring great efforts to implement new opportunities. "Ülemiste City is in a leading position in real estate development in Tallinn and an important indicator in the establishment of the European Park with the construction of a landmark high-rise building and the connection of the campus with both the RB terminal and the airport area. It is also important to further develop the Ülemiste City Radar in order to measure and evaluate the fulfillment sectoral goals of campus. The premise of the solution is continuous digitization, increasing the quality of data and adding new data sources, as well as creating a city-wide data strategy," he added. In addition, Pärnits introduces the Ülemiste City community fund as a new initiative, which has already started this year and whose concept has spread to several business campuses around the world. "In the form of the community fund, the companies on campus can contribute financially to the development projects and actively participate in the development of the campus."

19.10.2023Sten Pärnits Joins the Board of Mainor Ülemiste  

With the decision of the supervisory board of Mainor Ülemiste, Sten Pärnits, who has been fulfilling the duties of a member of the supervisory board until now, will commence his role on the management board of the company on October 21. His areas of responsibility will be sales, customer experience management and administrative matters.

"Mainor is a family business with a long history, yet with a forward-looking vision. We have successfully managed all the companies in the group based on our values. The decision to appoint Sten as a board member of Mainor Ülemiste is a natural progression. From the owner's perspective, his involvement in Mainor Ülemiste's management will aid in making more strategic decisions and achieving ambitious goals," commented Guido Pärnits, chairman of Mainor Ülemiste's supervisory board.

Sten Pärnits is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tartu and is currently pursuing studies in business finance at TalTech. He has been an active member of Mainor Ülemiste's supervisory board for a decade.

His history with the company extends back as far as he can remember. "I could technically say that I am one of the company's longest-serving employees because I began working almost 20 years ago as a young boy under the guidance of my grandfather, Ülo Pärnits, pulling weeds and cutting bushes in Rekman. I also assembled furniture parts and worked as a warehouseman in Askala. Additionally, I served as Ülo's secretary," Pärnits recalled. Even as a supervisory board member, he remained closely involved in Mainor Ülemiste's daily activities, overseeing the development of Ülemiste City health centers and attracting healthcare service providers to the campus. "However, as a board member of Mainor Ülemiste, I can now apply my previous experience more effectively in my new area of responsibility. As the owner's representative, my goal is to maintain a clear focus on consistently implementing the long-term strategy," added Pärnits.

According to Ursel Velve, the CEO of Mainor Ülemiste, Sten Pärnits joining the board undeniably brings a fresh perspective to the company's management. "Through the development of our health centers and services, Sten has demonstrated a remarkable ability to make Ülemiste City an attractive hub for service providers. In his role as the leader of the entire customer experience, Sten can unlock the full potential of Ülemiste City on an even larger scale," he noted.

Velve deeply appreciates the contributions of Julius Stokas, who is departing from the company. "Julius has played a significant role in the company's growth for nearly six years, with the last two years as a board member overseeing customer experience, sales, and administrative matters. With Julius's assistance, we have established campus accommodation services and successfully brought new companies into the Ülemiste City community. I am very grateful to Julius for his contribution."

09.08.2023Rafer party for the new Ülemiste City Health Center  

On August 4th, Mainor Ülemiste and Fund Ehitus held a rafter party for the new Ülemiste City Health Center, introducing the current state of construction to cooperation partners and future tenants.

Health Center, which will be completed next year, is a continuation of the first Health Center, which was opened and successfully launched in 2020, and the soon-to-open Ülemiste surgery clinic, created in Alma Tominga’s house, and aims to create synergy through new services in the field of personal medicine, surgery, diagnostics, and prevention and rehabilitation.


According to Ursel Velve, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS, the expansion of the campus health cluster and several new expertise and technologies in the field are very welcome to Ülemiste City. “Talent expectations for preventive health services are high, and the focus of service providers is increasingly shifting from treatment to prevention,” she noted. “By expanding the range of health services, we are taking a step closer to creating a 15-minute city with a wide range of conveniently available services. In addition, a park area will be built next to the building, making outdoor activities even more attractive and directing people to pay attention to their physical health.”

Lauri Pikkpöld, Construction Director of Fund Ehitus, added that it is a pleasure to implement such a comprehensive project designed for all development and functionality stages. “The new Health Center is a 7-storey complex with a net area of 9,450 m2, whose energy label corresponds to class A, largely thanks to the solar panel park designed on the building’s roof and district heating and cooling. The keywords of the building’s exterior space are environmental sustainability and richness of life, which fully supports Ülemiste City’s vision of a green and sustainable urban space.”

The biggest tenant of Tervisemaja, which will be completed in a year, is the Tartu University Clinic. Niine Skin Clinic, SYNLAB, BENU Apteek, MediPunkt, Dr. Tomson Family Medical Center, Perearstikeskus, Health Tests, Linna Grupp, Reio Vilipuu Rehabilitation Clinic, PSI Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Center and Ülemiste Psychiatry Center will also operate in the building.

The second building of the Health Center was designed in cooperation with What If OÜ, the architectural solution of the building was prepared by Apex Arhitektuuribüroo OÜ, interior architecture by Studio Argus OÜ and the landscape architectural solution by Tajuruum OÜ. The main construction contractor is OÜ Fund Ehitus, and the financier is a syndicate of SEB and Luminor banks.

29.06.2023Ülemiste City is starting the construction of an international educational quarter  

NOBE won the new construction tender that was arranged for the changed project of the Ülemiste educational quarter, and in the first stage, they will construct the building of the International School of Tallinn with a gross area of nearly 6,000 square meters and the Ülemiste community building at Valukoja 9. The total cost of the construction is approximately 11.5 million euros without VAT. 

Today, the campus is home to Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences, International School of Tallinn from kindergarten to high school, Emil school and Kalli-kalli kindergarten. Due to the planned construction of the Rail Baltica terminal to the area of existing buildings and the growing need for educational services, a new educational quarter is being built in the centre of the Ülemiste campus.

“Educated professionals from Estonia and abroad have been one of the pillars of Ülemiste City as a smart city from the beginning. The campus of Ülemiste has grown and developed rapidly so far, and thinking about the future, it is necessary to build an international study quarter here, covering the entire educational path,” said Kadi Pärnits, the Chairman of the Board of Mainor AS, developer of Ülemiste City. “The first major steps on this path will be the completion of the new building of the International School of Tallinn, which offers IB education from preschool to high school, and the Ülemiste community building at the end of next year, to offer even more opportunities for sharing knowledge and being physically active, as well as a place for socialization.”

According to Ursel Velve, the Chairman of the Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the beginning of June has been a very busy time for Ülemiste City in many areas of development – a unique testing environment in the Nordic countries, Test City, was launched in the business campus, and the cornerstone was placed on the second Health Center, which allows the expansion of the health cluster here and the possibility of offering additional healthcare services. “Now it’s time for the educational quarter, the expansion of which has been long awaited to support the further multifaceted development of the campus. I am happy that we will start to develop the building created in cooperation with students, parents, teachers and service designers after a long period of planning and we will be able to experience a new modern environment already at the beginning of 2025 that will support both learning and movement and in turn will create even more green urban space in addition to our health developments,” she noted.

“Ülemiste City is becoming an independent city, where all services necessary for life are world-class. At NOBE, we highly value smart, versatile and multifunctional architecture, where an use has been found on the entire surface of the building. For example, in the Ülemiste City educational quarter, the entire roof area is used for playgrounds and leisure facilities. To create the best environment, both solar protection glass and noise barriers are used on the buildings. Developer Mainor Ülemiste creates the dream learning environment for all children, but also opens the building to the community for use. As a resident of Ülemiste City, NOBE is happy to participate in the construction of the campus,” said the Board Member and Construction Director of NOBE, Priit Nigols.

According to Hannes Kaadu, Head of the Estonian Branch of OP Corporate Bank plc, OP highly values cooperation with Mainor Ülemiste. “This project allows OP to make another contribution to Estonian society. The Ülemiste educational quarter creates all the prerequisites for providing high-level international education, and the developer has a clear vision of how to do it best. Since the quarter is environmentally friendly, we finance it through a green loan. We are in many ways in line with OP’s own sustainability program”.

14.02.2023Mainor Ülemiste record results in 2022  

The unaudited results of Mainor Ülemiste  indicate record numbers in the turnover and profit of 2022.

The company’s turnover was 16.2 million euros, which is 24% higher than in 2021, and the net profit was 30.4 million euros, that is three times higher than last year. An important factor impacting the change in real estate value is mostly attributed to the completion of the new Alma Tomingas office building. The Alma Tominga building, which is planned to be awarded the energy and environmental sustainability LEED gold status, is an 11-story, over 20,000 square meter office building that is unique in Europe. Large international corporations such as Fujitsu Estonia and Breakwater Technology, as well as Estonian innovation and development leaders Skeleton Technologies and the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, will be operating in the building.

Mainor Ülemiste is a subsidiary of Mainor AS, whose principal activity is the development of Ülemiste City, the largest business campus in the Baltics. A total of 167,000 square metres of leasable office space has been built on 36 hectares of the campus. It is home to nearly 500 companies and a work, study and living environment for more than 14,000 people.

Ülemiste City is being developed by Mainor AS, Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS.

19.01.2023Ülemiste City is expanding the Health Centre  

„Health and creating an environment that supports health is important for Ülemiste City. In the development of the new Health Centre, we followed the 3×3 health model created by the University of Tartu, which creates a basis for supporting the mental, physical, and social health of talents through the activities of the city, the employer, and the person themselves,“ said Kadi Pärnits, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor AS, which is developing Ülemiste City. „With this focus in mind, we will build the second Health Centre to offer the community an even wider range of health care services, new field knowledge and cutting-edge technologies, and a new and innovative environment for service providers.“

„The building being completed as the second stage of the Health Centre is another example of the creation of a complete environment in the city – both in the construction and landscape architecture, we have focused on the function of the building, which is to heal people, maintain health, and improve the quality of life,“ said Ursel Velve, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS. „Expectations for developing preventive health services and the environment in which the services are provided are high. The focus of service providers and consumers must shift from treatment to prevention. That is why we are bringing together the environment and service providers in the new building to help people better manage their health. High expectations and a growing need for services have in turn given confidence to start construction activities at a time when many developers are putting projects on hold due to difficult circumstances.“

„We are always happy to finance projects that promote the Estonian living environment and value the development of the residents. The Ülemiste Health Centre shows that our health care is moving in the right direction and that it is possible to be responsible in the development of commercial real estate as well,“ commented Anu Arnover, Head of the Real Estate Division of Corporate Banking at SEB.

The building is a seven-story flat-roofed monolithic concrete building with an enclosed net area of 9,450 m2. Natural organic forms have been used – bone structure, a network of neurons, patterns of tree bark and leaves, and the undulation of water. All movement inside the building is structured around the atrium with a glass roof located on the central axis of the building, passing through all floors. The atrium area has been designed with spacious curved stairs. Calm light and pastel colours are used in the interior architecture solution.

The idea of landscape architecture of the building focuses on the function of the Health Centre – healing people, maintaining health, and improving the quality of life. Landscaping is also based on environmental friendliness – local plants are used to create the most diverse environment possible, which would also attract various birds and insects.

The Health Centre and the Education Complex that will be built in its neighbourhood will create a dignified new block of buildings on the existing open parking area with an exciting landscape architecture that follows the strategy of the comprehensive green network of the city. In addition, the solutions for the green areas in the further development projects of both the Health Centre and the Education Complex have been based on a multifunctional way of use, offering opportunities for sports and games, as well as educational and relaxing activities in different zones of the green areas.

The energy label of the building corresponds to class A, which is ensured by the park of solar panels on the roof of the building. Outdoors, attention has been paid to environmental sustainability and biodiversity. Rainwater is collected and used for landscaping.

Construction of the building will begin in January 2023, and the planned completion date is July 2024. The project cost is 20.5 million euros, of which 15.4 million euros are financed by the syndicate of SEB and Luminor banks.

03.01.2023Rauno Mätas joined the management board of Mainor Ülemiste AS  

Rauno Mätas has a longstanding international experience in the field of architecture and real estate development. Previously, he has been an architect at Swiss Property and led development projects at Nobe Partners and Endover. On the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS, his area of ​​responsibility will be the development and construction projects in cooperation with the other Ülemiste City developers.

The Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS continues with three members – in addition to Mätas, the Chairman of the Management Board and CEO Ursel Velve and the Head of Customer Experience Julius Stokas.

Mainor Ülemiste is a subsidiary of Mainor AS, whose principal activity is the development of Ülemiste City, the largest business campus in the Baltics. A total of 167,000 square metres of leasable office space has been built on 36 hectares of the campus. It is home to nearly 500 companies and a work, study and living environment for more than 14,000 people.

Ülemiste City is being developed by Mainor AS, Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS.

 

Additional information

Ursel Velve

Mainor Ülemiste AS, Chairman of the Management Board

ursel.velve@mainorulemiste.ee

+372 507 9781

21.06.2021Top international companies will move into the Alma Tominga green building  

Inspired by the work of Alma Tomingas, Estonia’s first female professor, the green building was created in cooperation with architects, service designers, researchers from the University of Tartu, as well as urban strategists, arborists, indoor climate, LEED, and digital experts, and gRrabbit, a creator of innovation in catering.

‘Many real estate developers hit the brakes during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, preferring to wait and see what the future holds. However, we made the bold decision to begin the construction of a building with a completely new concept. It will be one of the most well-thought-out and talent-focused working environments in Estonia and perhaps even the whole of Europe’, said Ursel Velve, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste AS.

The Alma Tomingas building will be completed by November 2022, representing the office building project with the largest investment (over EUR 30 million) in Ülemiste City.

‘A building is emerging, one that we are creating in cooperation with the architects from the architectural firm PLUSS Architects from start to finish and from the inside out – based on the needs of our current and future talents. Awaiting them is a green environment, with the boundary between indoor and outdoor space being shifted by a large indoor atrium with balconies, a four-metre waterfall and an interactive forest, where it will be nice to meet with colleagues or let your imagination soar alone in the tropical microclimate. The innovation and greenery being created is a step taken in the name of better employee health’, explained Velve.

‘With the completion of the Alma Tomingas building, we will have once again created value and attractiveness for the Suur-Ülemiste of the future and the realisation of this vision, which in the future combines Estonia’s most important transport hub, the best shopping centre in the Baltics, and the largest and most meaningful business campus in the Nordic countries. Therefore, Suur-Ülemiste – which is likely to become one of Tallinn’s most important export items through business and conventional tourism – deserves only the best. The best content and the best form – the building will definitely meet these criteria’, said Guido Pärnits, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Mainor Group.

The 11-storey green building being built in the immediate vicinity of Tallinn Airport will meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold standard, the installation of solar panels and the first district heating and cooling system in the campus will take place, the switchover to which will save 1500 trees worth of CO2 per year in the future.

Fujitsu and Skeleton: a creative working environment is the key to success 

The future tenants of the Alma Tomingas building include brands with global reach and recognition, led by technology giant Fujitsu and Skeleton, which is aspiring to be the next unicorn. Both were fascinated primarily by the well-designed nature and ambition of the project.

Skeleton Technologies has risen to become the largest manufacturer of supercapacitors in Europe, using technology that was developed in Estonia to provide energy to the products of the world’s top companies. The growth of the company is clearly reflected in the fact that it will occupy ten times more office space in the Alma Tomingas building than it did when it first moved to Ülemiste City in 2018. As a pioneer in the field, the focus is on recruiting the best talent from Estonia and elsewhere, with the ability to offer the best working environment being of critical importance.

‘The decision to move into the Alma Tomingas building underlines our continued commitment to providing employees with the healthiest and most creative working environment possible. We understand that if we fail to take their well-being into consideration, the company will not see any breakthrough innovations. The move to a new office – where the most efficient standards have been created to reduce energy demand and CO2 emissions and to conserve natural resources – will help contribute to bringing our plans for growth to life’, said Nele Leht, Chief of Staff at Skeleton Technologies.

Merilin Mõttus, Facilities Manager at Fujitsu Estonia, stated that the modernisation of offices and workplaces is constantly being carried out, but the decision to move to Ülemiste marks the realisation of many good ideas, which will provide momentum to environmentally friendly thinking and practices.

‘Fujitsu’s mission is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. We work on a global level with technologies that create environments that serve as a great place for people to live and work’, said Mõttus.

She gave examples of the approach: ‘We have created smart spaces where you can control your movements and activities with facial or palm vein detection. Also worth mentioning are solutions for detecting and warning of employee fatigue, measuring room occupancy and workload, as well as monitoring the condition of road surfaces and the spread of invasive plant species’.

The author and chief designer of the idea for the building with more than 20,000 square metres is the architectural firm PLUSS Architects; the builders are NOBE and the Nordecon consortium.

17.06.2019Check Out the Elegant Building to Be Built between Ülemiste City and the Airport  

Mainor Ülemiste, the developer of Ülemiste City has declared PLUSS Architects winner of the architectural design competition for a 20,000 m2 office building to go up next to the new terminal building planned by Tallinn Airport.

According to Mainor Ülemiste Development Manager Ursel Velve three Estonian and one Danish architectural bureau were invited to participate in the competition to design an office building at Sepise 7. „This building has special significance for Ülemiste City, for the new terminal of Tallinn Airport will be built next to it and thus Sepise 7 will serve as the place where the airport and Ülemiste City meet,” Velve said.



„Given the location of the building the competition terms of reference included the requirement for designing a spacious and attractive main entrance. We also asked the architects to design areas for co-working and relaxing, for these are inevitable in future office buildings,” Velve noted. She explained that office buildings in the hub were named after Estonian innovators and inventors and therefore the architects had to propose a worthy name for the new building as well.

The winning work, titled „Alma Tomingas” was deemed as the best by the Ülemiste City developer’s team, employees of the companies operating in the hub, as well as the jury consisting of service designers and architects. They all liked the beautiful architectural solution, people-friendliness, and how the proposed name and the design came together.

Indrek Allmann from PLUSS Architects explained that the Alma Tomingas Building represented a new generation of office buildings. „In addition to everything that is now part and parcel of class A office buildings, we paid special attention to spatial solutions that would enhance the creativity of people working there. Whether it be a large internal atrium with balconies that shifts the border between indoors and outdoors or a so-called interactive wood, whose tropical microclimate makes it a perfect spot to meet colleagues and fight the kaamos,” Allmann said, hoping that every user of the future building would find a favourite place there.



Alma Tomingas, who is to lend her name to the building, was an Estonian pharmacist, Doctor of Pharmacy, Head of the Chair of Pharmacognosy and later Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Tartu, the first Estonian woman to become a professor. „Alma Tomingas helped people with her knowledge of pharmaceutics and medicinal herbs, the office building inspired by her work does the same through the designed environment,” Ursel Velve said, considering it a great honour that the first building in Ülemiste City to be named after a woman, will bear the name of the first Estonian female professor.

Mainor Ülemiste plans to start the construction of the building at Sepise 7 at the end of 2020 and complete it in 2022. The building will have one floor below ground and 12 storeys above ground.

The building was designed by Indrek Allmann and Gunnar Kurusk.

04.06.2019First Smart Traffic Signs in Ülemiste to Mark the Opening of City of the Future Professorship  

Today the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), the City of Tallinn and Ülemiste City launched the innovative City of the Future Professorship, to be opened in TalTech this autumn. To mark the occasion, the first ever smart traffic signs in Estonia were demonstrated. They will start gathering detailed information about the city environment and traffic situation in the Ülemiste hub, which will then be used for designing the city of the future.

Chairman of the Mainor AS Management Board Kadi Pärnits explained that the professorship was created by TalTech to help Ülemiste City become a city of the future. „Through the professorship the Ülemiste campus will turn into a test bed of a sort, where data about the operation of a modern city is gathered, processed and synthesised and innovative solutions are tried out in the same setting – all with the aim of improving the environment. And the best outcomes can be used all across Tallinn and elsewhere as well,” Pärnits said, adding that the developers of Ülemiste have pledged almost 500,000 euros in support of the professorship during the next few years.


„I commend Ülo Pärnits for his foresight as author of the idea behind Ülemiste City – even today Ülemiste City is a city of the future,” TalTech rector Jaak Aaviksoo said. According to Aaviksoo, a city of the future does not mean a place full of technological gadgets, but rather a great and cool place for living and working. Technology is just there to help achieve this. „By bringing together specialists from different fields we can create even smarter solutions in architecture, construction, as well as indoor climate. That’s why we are looking for this super professor – to achieve all this,” Aaviksoo explained, hoping that innovation emerging from the endeavour can be useful for others as well.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aivar Riisalu said that knowledge was most important and that in this era of mixed messages the city needed specific knowledge in order to make rational and fact-based decisions. „It is essential for Tallinn to contribute to the new City of the Future Professorship along with Ülemiste City and TalTech; in so doing our decisions will be based on real knowledge, not on someone’ moods or superstition,” Riisalu added.

The smart traffic signs for Ülemiste City are the first of their kind in Estonia, designed and developed by Bercman Technologies, an Estonian company. The signs have cameras and sensors to measure the movement of pedestrians and vehicles and predict the trajectory of their movement. The sign will blink a warning, if the software has established a potential threat.

The cameras and sensors attached to the traffic signs shall gather data about the number of cars, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as traffic volume, the weather, exhaust gases and noise. The data will be analysed and used for developing new solutions by the scientists of the City of the Future Professorship.

The new TalTech professorship brings together research fellows, graduate and postgraduate students and an R&D working group, who will focus on data processing and research for creating future living and working environments.

The partners of the project include the developers of Ülemiste City, TalTech, the City of Tallinn, the technology giant Ericsson and a number of other private companies, mostly based in Ülemiste City.


Photos: Andres Teiss

30.05.2019Record Year for Mainor Ülemiste with 9 Million Euros in Profits  

Mainor Ülemiste AS, the developer of Ülemiste City had its most successful year ever – the 2018 sales were 8.8 million euros, up 14% in comparison with the year before and profits 9.3 million euros, a 10% increase from last year.

According to Chairman of the Mainor Ülemiste Management Board Margus Nõlvak Ülemiste City has more than 10,000 employees and the hub is now larger than the town of Haapsalu. „Last year we completed the second office tower of the Öpiku Building, and could finally open Estonia’s biggest office building,” Nõlvak said. He listed other important developments of 2018: opening the parking house at Sepise 8 for more than 400 vehicles, introducing a smart parking system, which covers the whole hub, starting the construction of a full-service health centre and last but not least, the Lurich Building, which will have the first apartments in the whole hub, in addition to offices. The International House of Estonia and e-Estonia Briefing Centre were opened in the Öpiku Building – both important for attracting talent and investors to Estonia.

Nõlvak added that in 2018 the company had invested almost 18 million euros in constructing buildings and improving equipment and laid the foundation for several important future developments. The second phase of the 10-million-euro bond issue, amounting to 7.38 million euros, was conducted to secure funding for further developing Ülemiste City. From 1 February 2018 the bonds have been available for trade at the First North trading facility.

At the end of the financial year Mainor Ülemiste AS had owner’s equity worth 100 million euros and the value of investment property was 122.6 million euros, which is 20.6 million euros more than last year.

09.05.2019Ülemiste City Developers to Invest 500,000 Euros in Tallinn University of Technology Professorship  

Upon the initiative of Mainor AS, the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) will open a first ever City of the Future Professorship this autumn. The developers of Ülemiste City are planning to invest almost 500,000 euros in the professorship over the next five years.

According to TalTech rector Jaak Aaviksoo, the city of the future is one of the research priorities of the university and the professorship is to be launched as soon as this autumn in the School of Engineering. „TalTech is looking into different smart things – self-driving cars, smart houses, smart homes, smart cities – we are working on those in cooperation with partners in Estonia and further afield as well. The City of the Future Professorship that we are developing in cooperation with Mainor plays an important role in this and ought to create synergies between Ülemiste City and TalTechCity,” Aaviksoo said. The university has started an international search for a suitable professor and according to the rector some serious candidates have come up already.

According to Chairman of the Mainor AS Management Board Kadi Pärnits this must be the largest private capital investment in such an educational project in Estonia. „Speaking of city planning, Ülemiste is facing exciting times in the next five years: the plans include the Rail Baltic terminal, the terminal for underground high-speed trains between Tallinn and Helsinki, the number of passengers travelling through Tallinn Airport is expected to grow many times and the number of people living and working in Ülemiste City will double,” Pärnits enthused.

„In light of all this the City of the Future Professorship has been created – so that the largest business hub of the Baltic states would become one of the most innovative cities of the future,” Pärnits noted and added that the idea of cooperating with the universities and research institutions came from Ülo Pärnits, who founded Mainor and set the Ülemiste City project in motion.

The new professorship brings together research fellows, graduate and postgraduate students and an R&D working group, who will focus on data processing and research for creating living and working environments in the city of the future.

The City of the Future Professorship shall be launched by the TalTech School of Engineering in cooperation with the developers of Ülemiste City and the City of Tallinn, with the technology giant Ericsson and a number of other private companies, mostly based in Ülemiste City, contributing as well.

08.05.2019Strongmen Laid a 500-kilo Cornerstone to Mark Ülemiste City’s Aspirations towards Becoming an Independent City  

A cornerstone was laid today for the first homes to be built in Ülemiste City. This is a landmark event for the business hub of more than 10,000 employees in becoming a city in its own right and with its own permanent population.

According to Margus Nõlvak, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the company developing Ülemiste City, more than a thousand people are expected to live in the hub by 2025. „The laying of the cornerstone for the first residential building is a landmark event in turning the hub into a new area with a permanent population,” Nõlvak emphasised.

„The new goal for Ülemiste City is to become a completely independent city and the plans for the next five years include, in addition to the first apartments, a health centre to be opened soon, a new complex to serve city’s educational needs, provision of the necessary goods and services and transport connections granting access to the whole world,” Nõlvak explained, and added that by 2025 people living and working in Ülemiste City would have no need whatsoever to leave the place.


The Lurich Building for which the cornerstone was laid today will be situated within the 19th century limestone walls of the Dvigatel workshop and will consist of two towers: a 13-storey block of rental apartments and an 8-storey office block. The 81 modern apartments will be fully furnished and the house fully automated, so that with the help of a smart phone one can move in virtually within a few minutes.

As a sign of respect for Estonia’s most famous wrestler Georg Lurich, who gave the name to the building, today’s strongest men in Estonia laid as the cornerstone a 500 kg hook of an overhead crane that had been in use in the old workshop. This is probably the heaviest cornerstone put in place by using just human strength.

The building was designed by Pluss Architects, the builders are from Fund Ehitus and the funding is provided by OP Corporate Bank. The first Ülemiste City homes will be ready by next spring.


Photos: Raul Mee

18.04.2019PHOTOS: Check out the International House of Estonia, winner of the IT sector „Deed of the Year” award for 2018  

Yesterday the Estonian Association of IT Companies – ITL – gave the „Deed of the Year” award to Enterprise Estonia and AS Mainor for creating the International House of Estonia, a one-stop-shop providing the services of various public institutions aimed at helping newcomers adapt to life in Estonia.

According to Triin Visnapuu-Sepp, Head of the Work in Estonia Programme in Enterprise Estonia, the International House of Estonia, which was opened last November in Ülemiste City, was created thanks to close cooperation between the public and private sectors, involving very many partners. „The award of the Association of IT Companies definitely means recognition of all their efforts,” Visnapuu-Sepp said.

As one of the authors behind the idea of the International House of Estonia, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor AS Kadi Pärnits is satisfied that thanks to the modern service centre things can be done in a couple of days and in just one place instead of running around for one or two months, as was the case before. „By this cooperation we certainly make Estonia bigger,” said Pärnits. In her opinion the International House of Estonia is already starting to ease the labour shortage in the Estonian IT sector, for according to entrepreneurs, information about the seamless reception and ease of getting used to life in Estonia has spread fast.


The International House of Estonia is located in the Öpiku Building in Ülemiste City and is open on three days a week. During its first five months of operating 450 different cases have been resolved there, 1,200 persons have visited the house and almost 40 events have been organised for various target groups. The following entities are offering their services in the International House of Estonia: Enterprise Estonia, Police and Border Guard Board, Integration Foundation, Unemployment Insurance Fund, Ministry of the Interior, City of Tallinn and Tax and Customs Board.


Photos: Tõnu Tunnel

14.02.201970 Students to Act as Job Shadows in Ülemiste City Today  

A Job Shadow Day shall take place in Ülemiste City today with 70 students studying IT, human resources and financial matters in TalTech and the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences shadowing specialists in 15 companies of the hub.

Kadi Pärnits, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor AS, the strategic developer of Ülemiste City, explained that given the shortage of high-quality labour, the objective of the Job Shadow Day was to bring both Estonian and foreign students into contact with the companies operating in the hub, so that they could take apprenticeships, summer and permanent jobs with them.

During this day the students will learn about the working environment, equipment and techniques, so that they’d know what to expect when they decide to work in those firms as apprentices, just during the summer or permanently.

Kerstin Laidmäe, Quality Manager of the Ministry of Finance IT Centre said that they saw participation in the Job Shadow Day as a risk-free opportunity for the employees and employers to learn to know each other, since engaging apprentices was a strategic decision of the ministry. „We really hope to find future apprentices at the Ülemiste City Job Shadow Day and we have prepared for them a carefully designed programme with several top managers and key persons contributing,“ Laidmäe added.

According to Gert Jervan, Dean of the TalTech School of Information Technologies, IT is ubiquitous and therefore their school provides specialists with a wide variety of backgrounds and profiles – programmers, analysts, developers, as well as automation and electronics engineers. „I can safely say that our students get world class knowledge combined with practical experience and very many of them find a job already during their studies,” Jervan maintained.

The following companies and public institutions are participating in today’s Job Shadow Day: ABB, Ericsson Eesti, Fortum, HR Factory, LeapIn, Mainor, Tax and Customs Board, Playtech Estonia, Ramirent, RMIT, Ruutu 6, Securitas Eesti, Tallinn Airport and Tele 2.

„This is the fourth time for us to organise the Job Shadow Day in the hub. This year we are also hosting students and lecturers from Nordic and Baltic universities on another three occasions and hopefully this will help us find more apprentices who would like to get some work experience in Ülemiste City,” Kadi Pärnits explained. She said that Ülemiste City was definitely interested in furthering cooperation with more Estonian and foreign universities.


Photos: Marek Metslaid

11.02.2019Vesterbacka Hopes to Get the Government’s Decision on National Designated Spatial Plan by End of February  

At today’s meeting in Ülemiste City Peter Vesterbacka’s team presented four possible routes that could be used for building the undersea tunnel between Finland and Estonia. They also described the latest developments concerning the project, namely, the Estonian Government is expected to make a decision about the application to initiate the preparation of a national designated spatial plan by 28 February.

The participants were told that preliminary surveys for building the tunnel between Finland and Estonia had been carried out already. The next steps of the tunnel project are initiating planning proceedings and the environmental impact assessment. In Finland the procedure for adopting a county-wide spatial plan is currently underway and the environmental impact assessment proceedings are about to start.

In Estonia the necessary applications have been submitted and now the government’s decision is required in order to catch up with the developments in Finland. „The application to initiate the preparation of a national designated spatial plan has been filed with the government and according to law, the government has to make a decision in 90 days. The last government session before the deadline is on 28 February,” said Paul Künnap, Partner of the Sorainen Law Firm.

Künnap presented four subsea routes on which the environmental analyses had been conducted. On the Estonian side the Ülemiste terminal would be 50 metres underground and cover an estimated area of 380 x 40 metres. „In order to catch up with Finland, discussions should start already today concerning the possible routes and the location of the terminal, so that the decisions could be made on the basis of careful and thorough considerations, taking into account all the relevant opinions,” Künnap noted.

The leader of the project Peter Vesterbacka explained that the amount of 100 million euros had been raised for planning purposes already. The funding comes from foreign investor ARJ Holding Dubai, which is in the process of founding a company in Estonia. „We plan to use phased funding, with 30% coming from equity and 70% from loans,” Vesterbacka said at today’s presentation.

Other speakers at the event included Ludovico Lombardi from Zaha Hadid Architects, who spoke about the world’s best practices in planning terminals, Andres Marandi from the Geological Survey of Estonia and environmental researcher Toomas Pallo.

Photos: Marek Metslaid. Four possible routes for the tunnel:

20.12.2018Mainor Ülemiste's subsidiary signed a loan agreement of nearly EUR 40 million  

Ülemiste City’s developer Mainor Ülemiste AS’s subsidiary, Öpiku Majad OÜ, signed a loan agreement with SEB Bank for a loan of EUR 39.5 million.

The agreement with SEB Pank is the largest in the history of developers of Ülemiste City since joining the euro zone. With the help of fresh funding it is planned to develop the new educational complex, offices and an innovative health center. Under the same roof will gather all neccessary medical staff to serve local clients and foreign specialists as well. The newest development in the campus is however the residential real estate, which generates hundreds of rental homes to embark 24/7 buzzing campus. At the same time, the loan will be partially used to refinance commitments made to develop the Öpik quarter.

The main activity of Mainor Ülemiste is the development of Ülemiste City as the largest business district in the Baltics constructed on the premises of the former Dvigatel factory near the Tallinn Airport. As of today, the 36 hectare of the district have 130,000 square metres of rentable office space in which over 10,000 people are working in more than 400 companies. Ülemiste City is developed by Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS.



Photos: Marek Metslaid

12.12.2018A unique artificial intelligence system now directs Ülemiste City drivers to available parking spots  

A new system available to drivers in Ülemiste City can guide them precisely to an available parking spot. The system combines signposts, LED displays, web interface and the most advanced AI video camera image analysis tool. It is one of the largest AI powered parking systems in Europe and the whole world.

Thousands of drivers come to Ülemiste City every day, for work and for brief meetings. In the past, looking for a parking space was a lot like playing a lottery, but from now on a new smart system, launched this week, will guide drivers to an available parking spot - both online and in the parking lots.

Conventional systems require sensors installed in the pavement

"We have been looking for a similar technology for a long time, we searched for the best technical solution in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but our task was not easy," said Ursel Velve, Member of the Management Board at Mainor Ülemiste. "This might sound weird; there are parking counters in most of the shopping centers - but this problem is much easier to solve in a closed parking lot than outside."

Many of the potential solutions were based on pavement-mounted sensors that were not suitable for Ülemiste, as the city is in constant development.

The open car census system is unique because it does not require any additional sensors. "The same cameras that ensure the safety in Ülemiste are also used for keeping track of parking spaces," Velve said.

Namely, with the help from Europark and Pixevia, the optimal solution found to determine whether a parking spot is full or empty was to use image analysis on the video feed from car park cameras. Users can even find accurate information about available parking spots in all the car parking lots in Ülemiste City online, straight from their car.

"The information on how many free spaces we have will be provided to the drivers in car parks through LED displays, as well as online for those still planning their journey," Velve said.

What about snow?

The new Ülemiste parking system was launched just as early winter weather arrived in Tallinn. According to Velve, even when parking lots are covered with snow, it does not interfere with picture recognition. "The only problem might be the snow covering road markings, which can lead to disorderly parking. But if we guide drivers with a few flags, they can park properly and be unaffected by snow."

The Europark partner Pixevia uses images from ordinary security cameras and analyzes them using artificial intelligence algorithms. This allows the software to detect whether parking spaces are occupied and it can then relay this information to drivers.

04.10.2018Study reveals: monthly salary in Ülemiste City 70% higher than Estonian average  

A new economic study was introduced which shows that the average monthly salary of people working for companies located in the fast-growing Ülemiste City in Tallinn rose above 2000 euros last year, making it 70% higher than the average Estonian salary.

In 2017, the average gross salary was 1221 euros in Estonia and 1383 euros in Tallinn. But the new study shows that at the same time, the average monthly salary in the Ülemiste City reached 2077 euros. The average salary in the Estonian IT sector for the same period was 2613 euros while in the Ülemiste City, it reached 2940 euros.

According to Mainor Ülemiste Supervisory Board member Raivo Vare, today, nearly 400 enterprises are actively operating in Ülemiste City – the first smart city in Estonia. More than 10 000 people work there on a daily basis, a number similar to the population of a town the size of Haapsalu.

“Ülemiste City is spearheading entrepreneurship in Estonia and this new study shows that the companies here create about 50% more added value than average companies. The creation of added value is the key component here as that is the main challenge for Estonia to overcome,” said Vare. He also explained that the reason behind the above-average salaries being paid by the campus’ companies is the fact that employees who create more added value need to be paid a higher salary.

The study also took a closer look at the local IT sector. According to the study, 1.4% of all Estonian IT companies operate in Ülemiste City and at the same time, those companies hire 18% of all Estonian IT sector employees, pay for 26% of the sector’s labour costs, produce 25% of the added value created by the sector and form 27% of Estonia’s total IT export.

The smart city study conducted by the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences also shows that the 2017 turnover of the companies operating in Ülemiste City totalled 1.15 billion euros, of which export constituted 500 million euros. The companies earned a combined total annual operating profit of 75 million euros and their assets formed an end-of-year total of 1.6 billion euros.

Tauno Õunapuu from Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences said that the long-term tenants of Ülemiste City have seen a greater-than-average rate of growth in their sales revenue, export, added value and net profit. “In Estonia and in Tallinn, Labour costs have generally followed the same trend that was seen in the previous years’ studies, but the absolute level of the company labour costs in Ülemiste City continue to be significantly higher than elsewhere in Estonia,” said Õunapuu.

25.09.2018Mainor Ülemiste’s subsidiary concluded a credit agreement in amount of 10.7 million euros  

Mainor Ülemiste AS' subsidiary Öpiku Majad OÜ conluded a credit agreement in amount of 10.7 million euros with the Estonian branch of OP Corporate Bank Plc, which refinances the existing loan from Nordea Bank and finances the construction of Lurich houses.

The 13-floor Lurich quarter's rental apartments’ house and the 8-floor office tower with the address Valukoja 10 are going to be built between the old limestone walls of Dvigatel factory. The proposed completion date of the building is in the first half of 2020, after which the modern district becomes active 24/7.

The construction start of the first residential building of Ülemiste City, and the office tower next to it, is planned already for this autumn. The 13-floor building, bearing the name of Georg Lurich, will have 82 rental apartments and the 8-floor commerical building modern office spaces. The building complex is designed by the architectural firm Pluss.

OP Corporate Bank Plc, who is financing the construction, is a leading Finnish financial services group which offers services for large and medium-sized companies in Estonia.

The main activity of Mainor Ülemiste is the development of Ülemiste City as the largest business district in the Baltics constructed on the premises of the former Dvigatel factory near the Tallinn Airport. As of today, the 36 hectare of the district have 130,000 square metres of rentable office space in which over 10,000 people are working in 380 companies. By 2025, it is estimated that 20,000 people will live, work and study in the district. The Ülemiste City district is developed by Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS.

23.08.2018Estonia Gets New IB Candidate School  

The International Baccalaureate Organisation granted International School of Tallinn, operating in Tallinn’s Ülemiste City since last year, the status of candidate school for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme that is recognised all over the world.

According to Olavi Otepalu, Headmaster of International School of Tallinn, International Baccalaureate (IB) is a well-known and reliable programme, which enables the children of foreigners residing in Tallinn continue their studies seamlessly, as they move to another country, for the whole IB philosophy is focused on the international nature of education.  

„Knowing that the quality of teaching is checked regularly by an international organisation means additional security for the parents as well,” Otepalu explained, adding that the IB programmes were built on best educational practices developed over decades, enriching the Estonian educational system as a whole.

During candidate status the preparedness and capabilities of the school to implement the IB programme are assessed. Usually the candidate phase lasts two years. During this period the school actively applies all the IB practises and standards in its daily activities. Upon successful completion of the authorisation process the school becomes an IB World School.

This year International School of Tallinn became an IB candidate school for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). Next year the school intends to apply for candidate status for the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and in 2020 for the Diploma Programme (DP).

The two other schools in Tallinn authorised to teach the IB PYP programme are Tallinn English College and International School of Estonia.

Last autumn International School of Tallinn started to provide tuition in English in Ülemiste City in order to increase the competitiveness of the hub and facilitate employment of foreign specialists in Estonia. During this school year tuition is offered in grades 1-8. The students come mostly from Europe and Asia.

Read more about International School of Tallinn: www.ist.ee

16.08.2018People's Favourite Building Design Confirmed as New Heart of Ülemiste City  

The four top Estonian architect firms participating in the competition submitted their designs for renovating and extending an 1899 limestone factory building located at Sepapaja 10 in the very centre of Ülemiste City.

Chairman of the Mainor Ülemiste Supervisory Board Guido Pärnits explained that they were looking for a special building that would really stand out in the centre of the hub. “We received four excellent projects. Therefore, I am happy that all parties – the jury consisting of architects and experts, our Supervisory Board and the people – were of the same opinion about the winner,” Pärnits said. The plan is to complete the design process by spring 2019, receive the building permit by the end of 2019 and start construction in 2021.

The winning work by Architectural Design Office PLUSS is called the “epiCentre”. According to the detailed plan the size of the building right is 50 000 m², making the building at Sepapaja 10 effectively the largest structure to be renovated in Ülemiste City.

The vision of the winning design is built on three pillars: the limestone building to be renovated, an innovative rectangular 3-storey office block, which also includes a pedestrian street and is located in the eastern side of the plot and a new O-shaped 9-storey main section rising above the whole structure. A secluded roof garden is the cherry on the cake.

Copper and a lighter shade of limestone are the construction materials to be used. Vertical copper ribs covering the façade are key decorative elements that amplify the form of the building and are well suited for the atmosphere of the industrial landscape.

The other three firms invited to participate in the architectural competition were Allianss Arhitektid, KOKO Arhitektid and HG Arhitektuur.

     

09.08.2018Ülemiste City to Get Its First Residential Building  

Mainor Ülemiste will start building the first homes in Ülemiste City already this year. The first residential building of the campus – mostly meant for experts arriving from abroad to work in Ülemiste City – is to be completed by 2020.

Margus Nõlvak, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the company developing Ülemiste City, said that building the first homes was of symbolic significance for the hub that so far had only focused on business. „We wanted to be certain that Ülemiste City had all the necessary infrastructure in place – a decent selection of stores and service providers, kindergarten and schools, cafés and restaurants, training facilities and transport connections – before undertaking the development of residential houses. We are ready now,” Nõlvak said.

„The homes to be built here are primarily meant for people coming from abroad to work in Ülemiste City but also for specialists from elsewhere in Estonia,” Nõlvak explained. „Of the 10 000 people working in the hub, an estimated 15% are foreigners and people arriving from further afield, thus rental apartments are a necessary addition already today,” he added.

According to plans the first residential building in Ülemiste City is to go up at Valukoja St. 10. The construction is scheduled to begin this autumn. The 13-storey Lurich Building, named so after the famous Estonian wrestler Georg Lurich, will have 75 apartments for rent, most of them with one, two or three rooms, and one 4-room penthouse. The first residents are expected to move in during the first half of 2020.

The work has already started with demolishing the roof of the Dvigatel workshop, originally built in 1899.The modern Lurich Building will be situated within the old limestone walls. The overhead cranes left from the Soviet era will be preserved and exhibited in the courtyard once the building is completed.

Follow the demolition work live at veebikaamera.ee/Lurichi_maja.html

02.08.2018Mainor Ülemiste to Open New Type of Booster Offices  

In just three months, 80% of the innovative booster offices for growing companies have been already reserved in Estonia’s largest office building to be completed this autumn by Mainor Ülemiste. There will be no long-term binding contracts and the meeting rooms, kitchens and reception areas will be shared by several companies.

According to Margus Nõlvak, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the new booster office concept of the Öpiku Building is based on what the businesses want. „I don’t foresee long-term binding contracts in the office space market in the future. Even today, companies want more flexible contracts, in order to manage their businesses more effectively,” said Nõlvak with confidence.
 
“We completed the prototype product about a year ago, when we made direct offers for short-term lease contracts for 20 such spaces in the first office tower of the Öpiku Building. Given the great success of our attempt, we decided to dedicate a similar area to booster offices in the superb Öpiku II office tower, to be opened this autumn. These offices will be made available in the open market,” Nõlvak added.
 
Teet Raudsep, Customer Experience Manager at Mainor Ülemiste, said that demand for offices with shared common areas had been really high and almost 80% of the offices had been taken up in reservations in just three months, with only a few still available before the opening. „The entrepreneurs are not ready to pay for meeting rooms that remain unused half the time or to spend time and money on furnishing and maintenance of the actual office or kitchen area,” Raudsep noted. “They want a really flexible but attractive solution in a place shared by other similarly active businesses,” he said.
 
The booster offices in the Öpiku II office tower to be completed this autumn, are designed for growing companies of 2-6 employees. The price for an office with two work stations starts from 250 euros per month and includes furniture, wi-fi and cleaning services. In addition to offices there is also a stylish common area that comprises the reception, kitchen and resting area, as well as five meeting rooms with state-of-the-art equipment that can be booked on an as needed basis. Once the second office tower is ready, the Öpiku Building will become the largest office block in Estonia.
 
The core activity of Mainor Ülemiste is to develop the largest business hub in the Baltic States, located on the territory of the former Dvigatel factory, right next to Tallinn Airport. The campus lies on 36 hectares and has 120 000 m² of office space to rent. There are more than 380 businesses employing almost 10 000 people in the hub. The developers of Ülemiste City are Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS.

More information about booster offices: opiku.ee/kasvukontor

26.03.2018Estonia’s Largest Parking House to Be Built in Ülemiste City  

The rafters went up in a parking house in Tallinn’s Ülemiste City. With room for almost one thousand cars the building will be the largest of its kind in Estonia. The house will be built inside the walls of an old factory building and the first phase is scheduled to be completed by August 2018.

In the first construction phase the production hall of the old Dvigatel factory will be turned into a five-story 14 000 m2 parking house accommodating 436 vehicles.

According to Margus Nõlvak, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the Ülemiste City developer, parking is the most talked-about service in the Ülemiste hub, for it concerns many of those who come to work here and also their clients. „This is our Achilles’ heel. Solving the parking problem is one of our most important goals for 2018. The situation will improve considerably by the end of the summer with the opening of the new parking house,” Nõlvak promised.

“At the same time, we are testing a unique smart parking solution, a convenient way to find free parking space in the large parking lots of Ülemiste City. This system ought to make the drivers’ life many times easier in comparison with the current situation,” Nõlvak added at the rafter party of the parking house.

The parking house is being built right next to the Öpiku twin office towers and is to be ready immediately before the completion of the Öpiku II block in August. The new parking house will be situated within the walls of the old Dvigatel mechanical assembly shop No 17. The gourmet restaurant Juur and MyFitness sports club are also located in the same old industrial building. The developer of the parking house is Mainor Ülemiste and Nordecon Betoon is constructing the almost 4-million-euro building.

01.03.201835% Annual Increase in Mainor Ülemiste Profits  

Last year ended with the best ever result for Mainor Ülemiste, the company developing the Ülemiste City campus: they earned 8.6 million euros of profit.

According to Margus Nõlvak, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste 2017 was the most successful year ever for the company, with sales up 34% and profits 35% in comparison with the year before. “Every year we contribute to the further development of Ülemiste City, in order to create an even more convenient and inspiring working environment for the employees of the 380 businesses operating here,” Nõlvak added. He said that they had invested 16 million euros last year in the hub, raising the value of investment property to 102 million euros.

Last year the company concluded an investment contract with Nordea Bank in order to start building the second office tower of the Öpiku Building and the new parking house. Work also started on renovating an old factory building to turn it into a modern IT-centre. In 2017 an old Dvigatel assembly shop was also converted to make room for the gourmet restaurant Juur and MyFitness sports club, which has the largest gym and swimming pool in Estonia. In addition, the International School of Tallinn, offering tuition in English, started its activities in the campus last autumn and the Mainor Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences opened a new dormitory accommodating 80 students.

“Ülemiste City today is the size of a smart and active small town in Estonia – it has its educational establishments, everything from kindergarten to university, the airport and railway station are nearby and trams and buses connect the campus with the centre of Tallinn,” Nõlvak explained, adding that more people come to work every day to Ülemiste City than there are inhabitants in the town of Paide.

The core activity of Mainor Ülemiste is to develop the largest business hub in the Baltic States, located on the territory of the former Dvigatel factory, right next to Tallinn Airport. The campus lies on 36 hectares and has 120 000 m 2 of space to rent. There are more than 380 businesses employing almost 10 000 people in the hub. The developers of Ülemiste City are Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS.

15.02.2018Nordea Group to Recruit 100 New Employees for the Service Centre opened in Ülemiste City  

The Estonian branch of the largest financial services group in the Nordic region Nordea Bank AB opened a new service centre in Ülemiste City today, to start offering financial and call centre services, as well as services aimed at countering money laundering.

According to the branch manager Jelena Trumm the Nordea Eesti Service Centre will employ almost 180 persons immediately and the company intends to recruit another 100 in the near future. The Nordea Service Centre is part of the Nordea Bank AB Group, the largest financial institution in Northern Europe with 30 000 employees.

The Estonian centre will be providing support to the Nordic units of the Nordea Bank AB Group, offering financial and call centre services and also services to counter money laundering. The centre’s working languages are Finnish, Swedish and English.