The cornerstone has been laid for the new educational quarter in Ülemiste City, where the initial phase will see the commencement of operations by the beginning of 2025 for the International School of Tallinn, alongside the opening of the Ülemiste community building. This marks the largest privately initiated educational project in Estonia.

“Ülemiste City has rapidly expanded thanks to educated top professionals and an open-minded approach, establishing the campus as an internationally renowned technology and business hub. A smart city is never complete, there are unlimited opportunities for further development. Hence, we should not limit ourselves by a scarcity of educational facilities for the incoming families of international specialists,” stated Kadi Pärnits, the Chairman of the Board of Mainor AS, the company developing Ülemiste City. “Mainor has always valued education and invested in private education for decades. Therefore, the significant investment in the new Ülemiste educational quarter is a natural progression. The new school and kindergarten buildings welcome children of all ages, from very young preschoolers and toddlers to pre-schoolers and up to 18-year-old high school students. The new environment being created will support both learning and physical activities while being surrounded by greenery.”

Ursel Velve, the Chairman of the Board of Mainor Ülemiste, mentioned that plans for the development of the new educational quarter in Ülemiste City began as early as 2018, aiming to reach a collective understanding of the type of school building that children, parents, teachers, and the entire Ülemiste community desired. “Today, after extensive collaboration and effort, we stand at a significant milestone. The Estonian economy grows only when we can attract international talent, and hence, the presence of an international school is of utmost importance. The new educational hub lays its foundation stone, and together with the builder Nordecon Betoon, we believe we’ll hand over the new school building to our youngest talents by January 2025. Yet, it’s not just a school building, it will bring opportunities for sports, movement, and play within the campus, significantly expanding our green area, where we aim, together with the community, to create a community garden,” noted Velve.

With an increasing number of international talents joining Ülemiste City, there has been a growing trend and necessity for international education in recent years. Olavi Otepalu, Director of the International School of Tallinn, affirmed that education following the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is attractive and convenient for families arriving in Estonia. “IB education enables a smooth continuation of education worldwide and is a significant advantage in university admissions. Our school also welcomes the children of internationally accomplished talents returning to Estonia, should their families wish to continue their international education path,” he added.

The new construction tender, resulting from the modification of the initial project for the Ülemiste educational quarter, was won this summer by NOBE. In the first phase, they 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), Tallinn International School 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.