Maru Metall news

Last weekend, a steel truss produced at the Maru Metall factory arrived at the construction site of the new building of Tallinn Secondary School of Science. It is reportedly the largest single-piece steel structure in Tallinn’s history. A video taken at night and in the early morning shows the truss arriving on Estonia Boulevard, which was closed to traffic, and being lifted into place.

In total, Maru Metall produced five similar steel trusses. These 30-meter-long and 5-meter-high metal giants will literally carry the school building, as its four floors will be erected upon them. Below these will be a hall, to serve both as an assembly and a sports hall. The underground space will receive natural light through a monumental glass facade. The unique architectural solution envisages that the ceiling of this space will also hang from the trusses. Later, the steel trusses will be largely invisible, as they will be integrated into walls, ceilings, and floors.

“Essentially, the entire new school building will stand securely on these trusses,” explained Heiti Zukovits, CEO of Maru Metall. He added that during the nearly 30 years that the company has operated, they have never before manufactured such a huge single-piece steel assembly. Despite their size, the fastening points of the trusses had to be measured with an accuracy of two millimeters at Maru Metall’s Ardu factory. This  ensures that the structure would be attached in the correct place when lifted into position.

Bystanders could also observe the precise navigation required to install the truss without damaging the landscaping. The main contractor brought a 700-ton lifting capacity crane to the site to lift the 46-ton truss from the street over the tall trees to the construction site. This necessitated the closure of Estonia Boulevard. While setting up the crane required 11 hours and the lifting work was done in 30 minutes, the welders at the Maru Metall factory spent more than 1000 hours on each truss. This adds up to nearly half of one employee’s annual working hours.

The new school building will be as tall as the adjacent existing building, four stories high. A gallery will connect the two buildings. Construction work, which began last year, will be completed in 2026. The building as designed by Karli Luik, Johan Tali, Harri Kaplan, and Ann Kristiin Entson of Molumba, the main contractor is Nordlin Ehitus.

Maru Metall is Estonia’s leading producer and exporter of steel structures. As the entire production cycle takes place in the company’s own 10,000-square-meter factory in Ardu, full quality control can be ensured. Maru Metall is EN 1090 certified to produce structures conforming up to execution class EXC3. The company also has an EPD certificate, which reflects information about the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle.

Contact:
Heiti Zukovits, CEO of Maru Metall, +372 509 2599, heiti.zukovits@maru.ee

Madis Tuuling, Sales and Marketing Manager of Maru Metall, +372 506 1810, madis.tuuling@maru.ee

Video: Kenneth Rüütli, Mustu Films