From the building’s eight-sided design, to the mirror image-like pond, and even the octagonal trash bins—the Okta Centrum lives up to its name in a way that only Soviet architecture can.
Designed by Toomas Rein and Aulo Padar and completed in 1977, the building served as a multi-purpose administrative center for the town of Rapla. It featured a lobby, offices, a café, and possibly even a basketball court, spread across three floors. While less imposing than many other Soviet-era buildings I've visited, it still evokes a distinct sense of an environment built to assert power over people.
Although it’s now recognized as a national cultural monument, the building is abandoned and locked up, making access to the interior not possible for me—despite the temptation of an open second-story window. Maybe next time.
