Outdoor toilet "Julla"

"Julla" is a built student research and design project realised by first-year Interior Architecture students of the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) in collaboration with Timber Architecture Research Center PAKK and the State Forest Management Centre (RMK). Situated at the Juminda Peninsula camping area within Lahemaa National Park, the project emerged from a long-standing pedagogical tradition in which small architectural interventions are conceived and executed as part of the spring semester curriculum and subsequent construction practicum.

Project executors: Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), Department of Interior Architecture, in collaboration with Timber Architecture Research Center PAKK, the State Forest Management Centre (RMK) and Taltech
Researchers/supervisiors: EKA Interior Architecture teaching team - Ardo Hiiuväin, Eeros Lees, Päär-Joonap Keedus, Avo Tragel and Oliver Kanniste; EKA PAKK; Taltech
Period: spring 2025–summer 2025
Funding: State Forest Management Centre (RMK), Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), PUUSTER project

The “Julla” project responds to RMK’s expressed need to upgrade visitor infrastructure, offering a publicly accessible, inclusive, and functionally responsive outdoor toilet that improves comfort and environmental compatibility at a high-use recreational site. Its design and construction were developed through an iterative process in which individual conceptual explorations were synthesised into collaborative proposals, from which the winning design was selected for realisation in summer 2025.

“Julla” embodies a synthesis of sustainable material strategies, contextual landscape integration, and inclusive design principles. The building prioritises accessibility—including wheelchair access—and ecological performance, while reflecting a considered architectural presence that engages with the unique geomorphology and cultural landscape of the Juminda Peninsula. The visual language of the structure, including its distinctive form and material expression, was developed with attention to both site qualities and broader questions of identity, durability, and appropriateness within a national park context

The project further reflects PAKK’s research commitment to valorisation of underused and residual wood resources: significant portions of the timber used in “Julla” were sourced from reclaimed wood, including century-old barn boards from Norway that were processed and adapted for construction within Tallinna Tehnikaülikooli’s structural testing facilities. This material strategy was complemented by research-informed considerations of environmental impact, maintainability, and expressive architectural form

Research Contributions and Educational Outcomes

Integration of learning and practice: The project demonstrates how academic design studios can be linked with real-world construction practice, enabling students to engage in the full lifecycle of architectural production—from concept to built form.
Sustainable material application: Through the use of reclaimed timber and hands-on material adaptation processes, the project contributes to ongoing research in sustainable wood utilisation within architectural practice.
Inclusive and contextual design: The design foregrounds accessibility, functional performance, and landscape integration, contributing case knowledge to inclusive design in natural/public environments.

Collaborative production model: The realisation of “Julla” reflects effective interdisciplinary collaboration among students, academic staff, research centres, and external partners, offering a replicable model for future built research projects.

“Julla” was completed during the 2025 “Construction Practice” course and inaugurated on 6 September 2025. Its continued use and reception by RMK visitors will inform future work in sustainable small-scale architectural interventions and infrastructure design in natural landscapes.

The completion and opening of the small building was supported by RMK, PUUSTER project, EKA PAKK, TalTech, Essve Estonia AS, Raitwood, Green Pro OÜ, Carrotscrew and Rõngu Pagar.