Construction of Maarjavälja complex to begin this year

At the end of 2026, the first stage of construction of the academic and research building to be erected on the University of Tartu’s Maarjavälja property will begin. This will include utility connections, streets, cycling and pedestrian paths, a 300-space multi-storey car park, and a robotics and drone hall. The development of the new complex will also involve the construction of a new street, and the City of Tartu gave the university the opportunity to name it. The street naming committee decided to propose to the city that the new street be named Maarjavälja.

All members of the university community could submit street name suggestions to the naming contest until mid-May. A total of 190 proposals were received.

At a meeting held on 25 May, the street naming committee – comprising Leho Ainsaar (chair), Kstina Noormets, Reet Kurg, Ilona Faustova, Maia Kivisaar, Aivar Liiv, Ivo Laidmäe, Karin Kogermann and Merelle Zeiger – reviewed the ideas and decided to propose to the City of Tartu that the new street be named Maarjavälja.

The name Maarjavälja has been in broader use since the expansion of the university’s science and medical campus onto the former fields of Maarja Manor, later allotment gardens and green areas used by residents of Veeriku. Using Maarjavälja as a street name would help reinforce the area's historical identity.

According to Kstina Noormets, Director of Administration of the University of Tartu, the university plans to start the first works of the Maarjavälja complex already at the end of 2026 and complete them in about a year.

The next stage will be the construction of the complex of academic and research buildings. The new complex will cover nearly 30,000 m², and the construction procurement is scheduled to be announced in the first half of 2027. The design work will continue until the end of this year and will cost nearly €4.8 million.

“When the costs of the construction procurements become clear, we may need to hold additional discussions, but at present this is difficult to forecast,” Noormets noted.

Four institutes of the University of Tartu will operate in the new complex: the Institute of Technology, the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, the Institute of Pharmacy, and the Institute of Bioengineering. Around 500 staff members and 1,000 students – currently based in other University of Tartu buildings – will work and study at the Maarjavälja complex.

The Maarjavälja property owned by the University of Tartu lies between Viljandi road, Ravila street, W. Ostwaldi street and Sanatooriumi street. The new street will run alongside the Chemicum and Physicum buildings, linking Ravila street with W. Ostwaldi street.

The winning design for the Maarjavälja complex was announced on 8 December 2023, when the University of Tartu selected the project “Sudoku” (by Kauss Arhitektuur OÜ and Väli OÜ) from ten entries in the architectural competition. Kstina Noormets, Director of Administration of the University of Tartu and chair of the competition jury, has said that the jury was unanimous in choosing the winning entry, as it stood out among other works for its well-thought-out solutions and clear and compact presentation.

The budget for the Maarjavälja complex has grown beyond initial estimates. While the university originally projected the total cost at around €60 million, after the design competition, the price is approximately €100 million. However, further rises in construction costs cannot be ruled out and may affect the latest estimate.

To finance the construction works, the university has concluded 20-year loan agreements with the Council of Europe Development Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank. “These allow up to €100 million to be used for construction until 2029,” Noormets explained.