In the 2013 architectural competition, we were faced with the question: How to build a building that is simultaneously both a sacred house of Estonian national memories and a workplace that meets the requirements of the 21st century? How to give architectural form to what is essentially invisible – the preservation of the country’s written memory? Our answer grew out of telling a story within the body of the building itself. Noora is the home of the National Archives, but its name says more: “Noo” comes from Nooruse Street, where the building is located, and “ra” is the abbreviation for the National Archives. This play on words reflects our general approach – the new does not have to contradict the old, but can grow from it.

Labyrinth as a metaphor for memory

The most striking element of the building is the labyrinthine pattern of the facade. It is not just a decorative element – ​​the labyrinth is a pattern of explored memories that mimics the structures of the brain and symbolizes the processes of thinking and remembering. The pattern asks questions and seeks answers, reflecting the journey of researchers through the maelstroms of history. Architecturally, Noora consists of two separate volumes: a dark, fabric-covered office block and a light, concrete-grey storage block. The building block on the right is solved as giant concrete sheets of paper – an abstract reference to the documents that rest in the building.

The six-storey building’s 26 storage rooms hold approximately 43,000 shelf metres of archives, including the oldest surviving document in Estonia from 1240. But Noora is not just a storage space – it is an active meeting place between the past and the future.