On Tuesday, 16 June, the cornerstone was laid in Ülemiste City for an office building named after the renowned Estonian botanist and ecologist Viktor Masing. The 13-storey building will be completed in 2027, adding nearly 20,000 square metres of A-class energy-efficient office space to the largest business campus in the Baltic region.

The Masing building will be located in Ülemiste City at Lõõtsa 1B/C and is scheduled for completion in November next year. The building is developed by Mainor Ülemiste and constructed by Merko Ehitus Eesti.

Located near the future Rail Baltica Linda terminal, the office building will have a gross area of 27,300 square metres and consists of two towers connected up to the ninth floor. The building will meet the highest environmental standards: it will have an A energy class rating, district heating and cooling, and a 150 kW solar panel system. The interior design is inspired by the colours and textures of bog landscapes. The building’s terraces will offer views of the Old Town and the sea, or of Lake Ülemiste and the airport. The lower floors will feature a golf simulator for tenants and shared areas with lush greenery. A green promenade with benches and a pond area will be created in front of the building.

According to Sten Pärnits, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the Viktor Masing office building is part of the extensive development plans for Ülemiste City in the coming years.

“In the coming years, nearly €500 million will be invested in the campus together with Tallinn Airport and Rail Baltica. This includes the construction of office and residential spaces, the new building of the health campus that has just reached its full height, the creation of new green areas, and improvements to transport connections,” said Pärnits.

According to Tallinn’s Deputy Mayor Joel Jesse, Ülemiste City is already an important transport hub in the city, and with the expansion of the airport and the construction of the Rail Baltica passenger terminal, it will soon become an even more attractive entry point for international companies and investors. “It is encouraging to see buildings being constructed in Tallinn that combine high-quality architecture, energy efficiency, and long-term urban development. Such investments help strengthen the capital’s role as a business and innovation hub and create an environment where companies can grow and create new jobs,” added Jesse.

“We greatly appreciate Mainor Ülemiste’s ambition in creating a better urban environment, and it is a great honour for us to contribute with our best construction expertise and team. The building has already reached several floors, construction is progressing at a rapid pace and in very good cooperation with the client and our key partners. We will continue with the same momentum and spirit,” said Jaan Mäe, Chairman of the Management Board of Merko Ehitus Eesti.

According to Pärnits, the development of Ülemiste City is guided by the principle that new buildings must meet the increasingly high expectations of companies, where in addition to rental price per square metre, the overall environment and the services offered by the developer are becoming ever more important. For example, the surrounding community is seen as an opportunity to find collaboration partners and thereby grow faster.

“Supporting the growth of companies has been an important part of planning the Viktor Masing building, as we see that flexible office solutions combined with a modern working environment are what are most in demand in the commercial real estate market, and at the same time in short supply,” said Pärnits.

The fact that development activities are on the right track is also reflected in the fact that, based on labour taxes, Ülemiste City is Estonia’s third-largest economic hub, thereby having a significant impact on the national economy. Swedbank has been an important partner in the development of the campus and is also financing the construction of the Masing building.

Ülemiste City is the largest business campus in the Baltics, home to nearly 400 companies and providing a work, study, and living environment for 18,000 people. The campus is developed by Mainor Ülemiste, a subsidiary of Mainor AS. Across its 30 hectares, 170,000 square metres of leasable office space have been developed.