News

Tartu steps up renovation of apartment buildings

The City of Tartu is participating as the lead partner in the project "Tartu Renovates" and has joined the project "LIFE IP BuildEST – Renovation Marathon in Estonia".

There are more than 1200 apartment buildings in Tartu, 93% of which were built before 2000. ‘In order to preserve their liveability and reduce the energy consumption of buildings and the associated environmental impact, residential buildings need to be renovated. The city must come to the aid of the residents here because, without advice and support, apartment associations would be unlikely to reach the renovation stage,’ said Gea Kangilaski, Deputy Mayor of Tartu. ‘With its energy and climate plan, the City of Tartu has set itself the goal of renovating at least 50% of all apartment buildings in Tartu by 2030.’

‘Considering climate change, the increase in energy, fuel and construction prices and the number of people, it is increasingly important to preserve the existing urban space, value existing dwellings and support their modernisation and improvement,’ said Tõnis Arjus, Head of the Spatial Design Department.

In the course of the project "Tartu Renovates", a support service will be created for apartment associations, which will help them to better compete in applying for state renovation support. A support service for the renovation of apartment buildings will be developed to support the renovation of at least 50 Tartu apartment buildings built before 2000. The aim is to bring at least EUR 32 million of renovation investments to Tartu with the support of the service to be created.

The innovative service provides support to apartment associations, from the wish to renovate and find financing opportunities, up to the design and construction and evaluation of post-renovation results. Renovation plans, including energy calculations and cost-benefit analyses, will be drawn up for cooperatives and will help them find designers and builders. After renovation, cooperatives will be helped in preparing the necessary reports for financiers and in concluding all necessary maintenance contracts.

As a result of the project, renovation of 20-30 apartment buildings will begin in Tartu, with the total volume of works being at least EUR 30 million.

The project "Tartu Renovates" is being funded by the European Investment Bank within the framework of the ELENA programme. The total cost of the project is EUR 1,789,750, of which the City of Tartu’s own contribution is EUR 178,975 and the grant to the City of Tartu is EUR 1,610,775. Project activities will last from 01.04.2022 through 31.03.2025.

In the course of the second renovation project "LIFE IP BuildEST – Renovation Marathon in Estonia", strategies and technologies will be developed to achieve the goals of renovating Estonia.

Pilot areas will be selected in Tartu, where regional renovation solutions will be developed and piloted. This will be followed by the mapping of expectations for renovations, expectations for the neighbourhood and city district, and any possible renovation failures. Based on the results of the study, a neighbourhood-based renovation concept will be developed together with the residents of the region. During the implementation of the concept, at least three apartment buildings and ten private houses will be renovated in Tartu.

The lead partner of the project is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The cities of Võru and Rakvere are also participating in the project. The cost of the project (the Tartu part) is EUR 958,881, of which the city’s own contribution is EUR 383,553 and the grant to the City of Tartu is EUR 575,328. The project is funded by the European Commission from the LIFE programme. Project activities will continue until the end of 2028.

Additional information: Deputy Mayor Gea Kangilaski, tel: 736-1163, 521-3295; Head of the Spatial Development Department Tõnis Arjus, tel: 5304-6148.

Last changed 04.03.2022