Toomas Rein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toomas Rein | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 April 1940 Tallinn, Estonia |
| Education | Tallinn Polytechnic; Estonian State Art Institute (ERKI) |
| Occupations | Architect; watercolourist |
Toomas Rein (born 17 April 1940) is an Estonian architect and watercolourist.[1] He is particularly associated with modernist architecture in Soviet-era Estonia, including large rural commissions and projects for construction enterprises (KEK).[2]
Among his best-known works are the Pärnu KEK terraced housing complex Kuldne Kodu (Golden Home), one of the longest residential buildings in Estonia, and the Rapla KEK administrative building, which was designated a cultural monument in 2015.[3][4]
Rein was born in Tallinn.[5] He attended Tallinn 1st Secondary School from 1947 to 1954. He graduated from Tallinn Polytechnic in 1958 with a degree in industrial and civil construction and later completed architectural studies at the Estonian State Art Institute (ERKI) in 1967.[1][5]
Career and work
Rein’s Soviet-era work is closely linked to modernist rural architecture and to projects commissioned by KEK organisations and collective-farm institutions.[2]
Pärnu KEK and Kuldne Kodu
A major project of the Pärnu KEK residential district is the terraced housing complex Kuldne Kodu (Golden Home). It is commonly described as around three-quarters of a kilometre in length; the Dehio OME inventory gives the main terraced building as 726.7 metres long.[2][3] Estonian Public Broadcasting has described it as about 740 metres long and noted its unusual scale in the Estonian context.[6]
Rapla KEK administrative building
Rein designed the Rapla KEK administrative building (completed 1977), a widely discussed example of late-Soviet modernism in Estonia.[7] The building was designated a cultural monument in 2015 by the Estonian state.[4] It has also been discussed in heritage and conservation context in English-language materials on Estonia’s cultural heritage.[8]
Suur Munamägi observation tower
Rein prepared a reconstruction project for the Suur Munamägi observation tower in 1999–2000; the tower reopened after major works on 24 July 2005.[9]
Film
A documentary portrait film about Rein, Ehituskunstnik Toomas Rein (Construction Artist Toomas Rein), is listed in the Estonian Film Database (EFIS) as a 2010 documentary and has been screened by professional architecture institutions.[10][11]
_Tsooru_kolhoosikeskuse_varemed.jpg)
