Construction of the Port Athena quarter in the centre of Tartu has reached the cornerstone
Just a few days ago, on 5 June, the foundation stone was laid for the Port Athena business district in the centre of Tartu. The ceremony marked an important milestone in the development, which will bring a modern, environmentally sustainable and diverse urban space to the banks of the Emajõgi River, combining office, service and retail spaces into one. The cornerstone capsule was handed over by the symbolic ancient Greek mythological goddess of wisdom, courage, justice and righteousness, Pallas Athena, also known as the guardian of the city walls.
Speeches at the cornerstone ceremony were delivered by Tartu Mayor Urmas Klaas, CEO of Kaarsilla Kinnisvara Made Vares, Chairman of the Board of Embach Ehitus Andres Salusaar, and architect Ragnar Põllukivi from Salto Architects. The capsule included that day’s edition of Postimees, current currency, development plans related to the quarter, photos of the developer’s team and construction crew, and the emblem of the City of Tartu.
As Tartu is known as the Athens of the Emajõgi River, the Mayor of Tartu Urmas Klaas acknowledged the choice of the name of the quarter and considered it symbolic that Port Athena is the impetus for new developments on the banks of the Emajõgi River.
Made Vares, CEO of Kaarsilla Kinnisvara, thanked the companies involved in the project for their smooth cooperation and expressed her delight that, despite the challenging economic climate in Estonia and global economy, the decision was made to move forward with the construction.
“This marks a new chapter in the development of Tartu city center and the riverfront,” said Made Vares.
Port Athena is developed by Kaarsilla Kinnisvara OÜ, and construction is carried out by Embach Ehitus OÜ. The underground level is complete, and the walls of the first two buildings are rising. The five-building development will be completed in stages, with the first two buildings ready by summer 2026 and the entire quarter by 2027. The total investment amounts to approximately 35 million euros, and the gross building area reaches up to 19,500 square meters.
The architectural concept for Port Athena was created by Salto Architects. The structural design was carried out by Roolaht ja Partnerid OÜ, with Projekt O2 responsible for design coordination and special parts engineering. Construction supervision is carried out by Tarindi Järelevalve OÜ.
The buildings under construction belong to energy class A and are aiming for LEED Gold and BREEAM certifications. Energy efficiency is ensured by an intelligent solution: a rooftop solar park, a radiant panel-based heating and cooling system, and district cooling drawn from the Emajõgi River
