Tallinn mayor Peeter Raudsepp said that architectural competitions are too expensive for the city. He wants to use more standard solutions. He says that this way money can be saved and more projects can be completed.
Aet Ader says that this is a bad message for the city's citizens. She believes that citizens deserve the best solutions. Architectural competitions are good because the private sector uses them voluntarily. They see that it yields the best results.
Ader says that Raudsepp has wrong opinions. First, architects also create standard projects. Second, architectural competitions are not too expensive. They help find the best solution.
Ader explains that architectural competitions are held for important public projects. When public money is used, it must be of high quality and inexpensive. Competitions help achieve this.
Ader says that architectural competitions do not make projects more expensive. The price is fixed. If the budget is exceeded, changes are made. For example, construction materials are changed.
An architectural competition has a clear goal. Architects offer solutions and the jury selects the best one. This helps avoid future problems. Competitions take time, but they do not make the process longer.
In Europe, architectural competitions are widely used. Their cost is about 0.7% of construction expenses. They pay for themselves because they help avoid mistakes and save money.
Ader says that standard solutions are not always bad. For example, for kindergartens it may be good to find one good solution. If too many identical buildings are made, it may not always work.
In Tallinn, there is a problem that different departments do not work together. The City Property Department, the City Planning Department, and politicians must cooperate better. Preliminary work must be clear so that the city knows what it is ordering.
Design Sprint found that departments need to cooperate more. For important public projects, architectural competitions should be used. For less important projects, this is not always necessary.