What Salto architects does

Salto Architects (legal entity Salto arhitektid OÜ) is a privately held Estonian architecture practice founded in 2004 in Tallinn by architects Maarja Kask and Ralf Lõoke. The firm provides architectural design, heritage conservation planning, and installation and exhibition design services, with a portfolio spanning public buildings (schools, community centres, museums, cultural institutions), residential commissions (private villas, apartment buildings, housing developments), large-scale urban planning (Riia Quarter in Tartu), and temporary installations. Core methodology centers on site-specific, contextual design at the intersection of architecture, landscape and art, with particular emphasis on public buildings carrying significant social dimension. The firm operates with approximately 14 professionals including three partners and architects holding EAL Chartered Architect credentials.

The business model is professional services revenue earned through project fees, sourced primarily via open and invited architectural competitions for public-sector work and via direct commissions for private residential and select enterprise clients. Distribution channels are competitions, academic teaching (notably at the Estonian Academy of Arts), international exhibitions (Venice Biennale, Paris, Brussels), and earned media in global architecture publications. Notable clients include Port of Tallinn (Tallinn Cruise Terminal), the Republic of Estonia Road Administration (Estonian Road Museum), Viljandi, Paide, Narva, Rakvere, Rapla, and Saku state high schools, Tallinn University (Baltic Film and Media School), Fotografiska Tallinn, G4S Eesti, and Cité de la Mode et du Design in Paris. The firm has won more than 100 architecture and art competition prizes and received multiple Estonian national awards, including the 2024 National Culture Prize and 2025 Estonian Association of Architects Annual Award for Saku Elementary School. No external investors, parent company, or funding rounds are disclosed; the firm is wholly owned and controlled by its founding partners.

Name

Salto architects

Legal name

Salto arhitektid OÜ

Website

https://salto.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Salto Architects is a Tallinn-based Estonian architecture practice founded in 2004 by Maarja Kask and Ralf Lõoke, designing public buildings, schools, cultural institutions, residential projects, urban districts, and international installations for government, cultural, and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Public building design
• Residential architecture
• Exhibition design
• Urban planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional fees from designing public buildings, private residences, educational facilities, cultural institutions, and urban developments. Revenue comes from competition prizes, commissioned projects, and ongoing design work for institutional clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Salto Architects provides comprehensive architectural design services for public buildings (schools, museums, cruise terminals, cultural institutions), private residences (villas and apartment buildings), installations and temporary objects (Venice Biennale, Paris), and large-scale urban planning projects (Riia Quarter in Tartu). The firm secures work primarily through architectural competitions and direct commissions, serving government, institutional, corporate, and private clients across Estonia and internationally.

Product overview

Salto Architects is a Tallinn-based architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural services. Their portfolio includes public buildings (schools, community centers, museums, cruise terminals), residential architecture (apartments, villas, housing developments), temporary installations (Straw Theatre, Gas Pipe, Fast Track), and large-scale urban planning projects. The firm operates as a single unified practice led by partners Maarja Kask and Ralf Lõoke, with approximately 14 team members providing architecture, interior design, landscape design, and 3D visualization services across Estonia and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Design Services Full-service architectural design spanning installations, temporary structures, public buildings, educational facilities, residential complexes, and large-scale urban environments for government, institutional, corporate, and private clients.
• Public Building Design Design and construction of public infrastructure including schools, community centers, cruise terminals, museums, sports halls, and cultural institutions with significant social dimension, delivered for government ministries, municipalities, and state real estate companies.
• Installations and Temporary Objects Critical architectural installations and temporary objects including the NO99 Straw Theatre, Gas Pipe at Venice Biennale, Fast Track trampoline installation, and Heat Wave installation in Paris, produced for cultural institutions and international biennales.
• Residential Architecture Private residences, apartment buildings, and housing developments including villas, community-oriented housing, and urban housing blocks such as apartments in Kalamaja, Viljandi, Pärnu, and Tartu.
• Urban Planning and Landscape Design Large-scale built environments and urban planning projects including the Riia Quarter in Tartu, waterfront developments, campus designs, and landscape-integrated developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ architecture and art competition prizes won
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.

• BOGDAN & VAN BROECKnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2017Collaborative installation 'Station Europe' at BEL:EST exhibition in BOZAR, Brussels. Joint sculptural work presenting European Parliament fragment made of saturated fat.
• Neeme KülmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2016Collaboration with artist Neeme Külm on Face-to-Face: The Story of the Baltic Exchange exhibition at Museum of Estonian Architecture and Heat Wave installation in Paris. Külm worked with founders Maarja Kask and Ralf Lõoke on multiple installations with socio-political themes.
• Stuudio Tallinn OÜnotableTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2014Collaboration with Stuudio Tallinn on Tallinn Cruise Terminal design, with Villem Tomiste as team member. Joint design of promenade and terminal building.
• VLS / Ville Lausmäe Interior DesignminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInterior design collaboration on G4S Tallinn Headquarters project
• Pille Lausmäe Sisearhitektuuri BüroominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInterior design partner on Rapla State High School
• Polka OÜminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLandscape design collaboration on Saku Elementary School, Tallinn Art Hall Pavilion, and other projects
• KINO MaastikuarhitektidminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLandscape design collaboration on Villa in Tabasalu

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture): Rem Koolhaas's Rotterdam-based practice is a benchmark for competition-led, culturally-engaged public architecture. Directly comparable on dimensions of public-building commissions, biennale visibility, and the integration of architecture with urban and cultural research — albeit at substantially larger scale.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Competition-driven international practice known for high-profile public buildings (schools, cultural venues, transport terminals). Comparable to Salto in its reliance on winning open and invited competitions, exhibition-driven brand building (Venice Biennale presence), and engagement with public-sector institutional clients.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: Global signature architecture practice competing in the same international cultural and public-building space; comparable in its competition-driven model, Mies van der Rohe nominations, and emphasis on landmark civic projects (museums, cultural centres, transport hubs). Like Salto, ZHA is often selected through invited public-sector competitions.
• 3XN: Copenhagen-based practice with a substantial public-building portfolio (schools, cultural venues, civic buildings) and competition-led growth. Comparable to Salto on Nordic-Baltic public-institutional positioning and contextual design approach, though at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Sou Fujimoto: Practice known for blending architecture, installation art and public space — including Venice Biennale work. Directly comparable to Salto on the art-architecture crossover, public-building commissions, and exhibition-led reputation building.
• EFFEKT Architects: Danish practice of similar size (~30 staff) with a strong public-building portfolio (schools, cultural venues) and competition-led growth strategy. Closely comparable to Salto in scale, public-institutional client mix, and reliance on Nordic-Baltic heritage-sensitive public commissions.
• KCAP: Rotterdam-based urbanism and architecture firm with strong public-building and large-scale planning credentials (similar to Salto's Riia Quarter work). Comparable in its competition-led, public-institutional client base and integration of urban planning with architecture.
• Dorte Mandrup: Copenhagen-based firm of comparable size with a portfolio weighted toward public buildings, cultural institutions and contextual, site-specific design. Comparable to Salto in its competition-winning approach, focus on heritage and landscape integration, and Nordic-Baltic cultural-building positioning.
• MAD Architects: Practice built around competition-winning signature public and cultural buildings with strong installation/exhibition presence (e.g., Venice Biennale). Comparable to Salto in its competition pipeline, signature cultural commissions, and use of biennale exposure to feed the international pipeline.
• Studio Gang: Mid-size practice built around competition-winning public and cultural projects, including biennale-scale installations and contextual site work. Comparable to Salto on its signature-project approach, public-sector clients, and use of installations as brand-building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Salto architects