KOKO Architects
KOKO Architects was founded in 2000 by Andrus Kõresaar and Raivo Kotov. The inspiration for creating the bureau came as a result of designing the Estonian pavilion and exhibition at EXPO 2000 in Hannover. Today this endeavour has developed into an architecture bureau with over 21 employees and its achievements are characterised by contemporary style, exciting use of materials and the courage to experiment with shapes and volumes.
Over the years there have been periods with quite different directions. They started out designing homes and offices, and then when Estonia joined the European Union they focused on designing SPA Hotels. This was followed by a period working on the reconstruction of historical buildings and now the bureau’s main focus is museums and visitor centres.
One of KOKO’s best-known projects is Andrus Kõresaar and Raivo Kotov’s pavilion at the World Trade Fair EXPO 2000 with its famous hanging carrots.
Another example of their work is the Fahle building in Tallinn, which according to the architects is a union and symbiosis of the old and the new. In 2008, the director of the Swiss Architecture Museum, Francesca Ferguson, nominated the building for the architecture category of a competition of the world’s best design objects, where it made it into the top five.
KOKO architects have also received many other international awards.
