Estonia restored its independence on August 20, 1991, and joined the European Union in 2004. Since then, the country has undergone rapid social and economic reforms. The establishment of the new Estonian National Museum in Tartu is a testament to the effort to revive national identity and a unique cultural history. In 2005, an international architectural competition was announced for the design and construction of a 34,000 m² building to house 140,000 museum artifacts.

The winning entry, 'Memory Field' by the architectural firm DGT, stepped beyond the competition's initial brief. Instead of the proposed location, DGT decided to place the museum on a nearby former Soviet military base – a physically tangible 'ruin' of a painful history. The architects believed that the new museum had to play a significant role in reviving the area, starting precisely by addressing this burdened and spatially unique site. The carefully executed architectural solution allows the museum to blend in as an extension of the former airfield – its roof rises and expands into 'infinite space,' inviting visitors to enter both the landscape and the heart of the museum.

DGT envisions the museum as an open house for public activities – exhibitions, performances, learning – creating a place for gathering and interaction where Estonia's rich, yet at times painful, history is celebrated.

HGA joined the project as a local architectural partner in 2008, and their role expanded from 2011 onwards after the first construction procurement failed. HGA became responsible for the entire architectural design and, after a successful construction procurement, supervised the building process until the building's completion in 2016.