2018

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of the Republic of Estonia, the Estonian Association of Construction Entrepreneurs and the Association of Construction Material Producers of Estonia produced an exhibition and released a book entitled 100 Buildings – 100 years. The Story of Estonia in Buildings, 1918–2017. Seven projects built by Merko were selected as the buildings that best characterized the year in which they were completed. The recognition went to the renovated Rotermann Salt Storage (1996), the headquarters of Ühispank (1999), Kumu Art Museum of Estonia (2005), the extension of Tartu maantee along with parking lot and twin towers (2007), the runway and taxiing area of Ämari Air Base (2010), the Ülemiste traffic junction (2013) and the Tondiraba Ice Rink (2014).

As a result of cooperation between the specialists in its civil engineering division and TalTech engineers, AS Merko Ehitus Eesti built a water treatment testing device for the university that allows study of various technologies and materials for wastewater and drinking water treatment plants.

The Viimsi State Gymnasium built by Merko earns the people’s choice award at the “Wooden Building of the Year 2018” competition and Arcwood’s special award for the best usage of laminated timber. The Wooden Building of the Year competition is organised by the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association with the objective of highlighting the best usages of wood as a construction and finish material from an architectural, technical and constructional point of view.

In 2018, Merko’s young researcher and teaching staff member scholarship was awarded to Senior Fellow of the Faculty of Engineering at the Civil Engineering and Architecture Department of TalTech, Kalle Kuusk, whose research is mainly focused on the complete renovation of residential buildings and nearly zero-energy buildings i.e. technical renovation solutions, their cost-effectiveness, investments needs, buildings interior climate, levels of nearly zero-energy buildings and other topics. Engineering Study Scholarships were awarded to Erik Teder, Mari Stepanjan and Kaarel Juurmaa.

The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry awards AS Merko Ehitus with the title of the Most Competitive Construction Company in Estonia. The award is twelfth in line for Merko.

The Tallinn City Municipal Engineering Services Department recognized Merko’s construction of the office building at Pärnu mnt 22 as a role model for the best-maintained construction site. The purpose of the public competition held since 2005 was to verify the upkeep of construction sites in Tallinn, draw builders’ attention to any shortcomings in the field of public maintenance and determine which company was most diligent in this field. Merko has won the title on four occasions.

Building Industry Digitalization Association assesses the company “Merks” experience and processes for working in the Building Information Modelling environment (BIM), assigning, as for the first of general constructors, the level of BIM basic competency.

In a ranking compiled by the Lithuanian business daily Verslo Žinios, Merko Statyba UAB achieved and was recognized as the leader of the construction sector in 2018. The comparison of companies in the construction sector considered six indicators from 2017: revenue, profitability, pre-tax profit and annual change in revenue (2017 v 2016), also salaries in the company in comparison with the average salary in other companies of the same field.

The world leading business and investment magazine Euromoney declared Merko Ehitus the best Estonian real estate developer. Been awarded the title of the best Estonian real estate developer in an international survey for the fifth time is a great recognition for all Merko employees.

The employer branding agency Instar polled university students all over Estonia on their work expectations and reputation of various employers. More than 5,400 young people evaluated the attractiveness of 194 Estonian organizations. According to year 2018 technology students saw AS Merko Ehitus Eesti as among the three most appealing employers, coming in first among construction companies.

In June, Kantar Emor completed a survey that revealed the public’s brand awareness of 22 Estonian real estate brands and the needs of people who wish to buy an apartment in Tallinn and nearby new urban areas, along with the previous home purchase experience of people. Merko was the most renowned real estate brand in terms of aided awareness. Merko is distinguished by credibility and quality.

In the competition ”The Most Energy Efficient Building in Latvia 2018” the building at 12 Grostonas street within the project “Skanstes Parks” won the first place in the nomination the residential new building.

On May 10, the sustainable and energy-efficient real estate and energy cluster, i.e. the KEN Cluster, announced at its annual conference the winners of the competition “The Most Sustainable Building in Estonia in 2018”. The B-building of the commercial building named after Öpik and built by Merko won the second place at the competition. The architect and designer of the building is Agabus Arhitektid.

AS Merko Ehitus Eesti is the member of the Digital Construction Cluster from March. The cluster brings together the representatives of the building area and aims to shift paradigms inside the construction sector, placing significant emphasis on altering business customs and models. The cluster wants to create a construction environment, where collaboration between various parties is valued highly and the construction is observed during the whole life-cycle from idea inception to utilization.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications awarded at the 2017 construction projects competition the Digital Building of the Year Award to the Telekom Office in Mustamäe, Tallinn. The building was designed and constructed by AS Merko Ehitus Eesti, the architectural solution was created by PIN Arhitektid.

In the competition “The Best Building of a Year in Latvia 2017” buildings of the 2^nd stage in project “Skanstes Parks” received the 1^st place in category “New Residential Building”, while hotel “Relais le Chevalier” in Kaļku Street 20 got the 3^rd place in the category “Reconstruction”.

2017

In 2017, Merko’s young researcher and teaching staff member scholarship went to Endrik Arumägi and the engineering study scholarships to Risto Häelme.

As a contract from the State Defence Investments Centre, Merko Group companies built by autumn 2017 two four-storey buildings and surrounding roads and plazas at the Tapa Defence Forces base. The defence minister bestowed the defence ministry’s silver chest pin on the main project manager, representing Tallinna Teede AS/Merko Ehitus Eesti AS, Meelis Mõisja, for leading the construction to early completion.

AS Merko Ehitus recognized as 2017’s most competitive construction company in Estonia. It is the 11^th time Merko has claimed the honour.

The business and investment magazine Euromoney picked Merko as Estonia’s best real estate developer, with the company taking the top spot in the overall rankings as well as the residential and multifunctional use real estate categories. SIA Merks was named Latvia’s best residential real estate developer.

SIA Merks received two awards at Latvian competition Building of the Year 2016. International private school „Exupéry International School” in Piņķi received Grand Prix in the category of New Public Building and Mormon Church Centre (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) received 2nd place in the same category.

At Baltic Market Awards 2016 competition, organised by NASDAQ OMX Baltic stock exchanges, AS Merko Ehitus receives third place in the categories “The Best Investor Relations in the Baltic market” and „The Best Annual and Corporate Governance Report“. The goal of the competition was to raise the general level of investor relations among listed companies by recognizing the ones that stood out during the year with first-class investor relations.

At a competition honouring Estonia’s best employers, Merko Ehitus was the only construction company to break into the top 20 companies, with 16^th place. An employment expectations study conducted by the employer branding agency Instar among university and vocational school students found that students in the technology speciality ranked Merko third in attractiveness among 184 employers in Estonia.

The Rode altar painting research and conservation project supported by Merko Ehitus from 2014 to 2016, “Rode Altar in Close-up”, wins the Europa Nostra 2017 cultural heritage prize in the field of research. Rode Altar is one of the grandest and best preserved late mediaeval northern German altar retable in all of Europe. It arrived in Tallinn in 1481 and has been in its present location for over 500 years.

The group’s Latvian subsidiary SIA Merks’s project manager Sergejs Periņecs wins the title of project manager of the year for the on-time completion of the Exupery International School, which met high quality standards. Besides project manager of the year honour, Periņecs also won special prizes for professional collaboration from the companies Bauroc, Knauf and Doka Latvija. Periņecs has been working for Merks since 2005 and has managed construction on many complex sites.

The Kražių Namai apartment development project established near the Old Town in central Vilnius by UAB Merko Statyba, a Merko subsidiary, wins the gold medal at a competition held by the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists – Lithuanian Product of the Year. The buildings established at Kražių Namai are among the first energy class A apartment buildings in Lithuania.

At the “Latvia’s most energy efficient building 2017” competition, the Grostonas 21 apartment building in the Skantes Mājas development built by group subsidiary SIA Merks wins second prize in the category “Most energy-efficient apartment building. New building”. The building was completed in 2015, but at this competition, energy performance is evaluated on the basis of actual results over a two-year period of use.

2016

In the Builder of the Year 2016 competition organized by the Estonian Association of Construction Entrepreneurs (EACE), AS Merko Ehitus Eesti project director Tarmo Pohlak is named the winner for his successful management of the construction works on the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel. Besides the complexity of the site and the high quality of the work, the jury praises him for the impeccable teamwork and work ethic.

AS Merko Ehitus recognized as 2016’s most competitive construction company in Estonia. It is the 10^th time Merko has claimed the honour.

In June was opening of the outstanding 13-storey hotel and entertainment complex Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel, operated by Hilton Worldwide. The hotel has a total 202 rooms, including 27 suites with modern furnishings. On the top floor is a business class lounge. The hotel has a conference hall with 10 top of the line meeting rooms, one of Tallinn’s biggest banquet halls, a spa with an indoor pool, and a restaurant with a bar and terrace. The flagship branch of Olympic Casino is on the ground floor.

Liepāja Concert Hall, opened in November 2015, has received the Popular Choice Award in the prestigious architectural competition Architizer A+ Awards in the hall/theatre category. The architect of the building is Volker Giencke and the main contractor SIA Merks, part of Merko Ehitus group. The concert hall is the new home of Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and with 1024 seats, it is the largest concert hall in the Baltic.

In the Civil Engineer of the Year 2015 competition organized by the Estonian Association of Civil Engineers, AS Merko Ehitus Eesti project manager Roland Vaikmäe is declared the winner. The project that brought him the honour was successfully leading, in his capacity as a civil engineer, the construction work on the large-scale and complicated water treatment plant in the city of Narva. The competition aims to put value on the profession of civil engineers and recognize engineers in the construction sector for outstanding achievements in their field.

In 2016, Merko’s engineering study scholarships was awarded to fifth-year industrial and civil engineering student of Tallinn Technical University, Erik Sumer.

At the Road Administration’s annual conference, Tallinna Teede AS wins the award for “Best asphalt pavement installer 2015”. The adjudication considered adherence to deadlines, quality achieved, communication with customers and accurate and complete filing of documents.

Merko Investments AS, part of AS Merko Ehitus group, signs contracts with Norwegian companies SDV Holding AS and Aucon AS to acquire 56% stake in Norwegian construction company Peritus Entreprenør AS. The aim of the acquisition is to start offering construction services on Norwegian market.

2015

In 2015, Merko’s young researcher and teaching staff member scholarship was awarded to Tallinn Technical University’s civil engineering doctoral student Raido Puust and the engineering study scholarships to Kristel Tamm, a fifth-year student in the field of heating and ventilation.

At Baltic Market Awards 2015 competition, organised by NASDAQ OMX Baltic stock exchanges, AS Merko Ehitus receives third place in the category “The Best Investor Relations in the Baltic market” and second place in the category „The Best Annual and Corporate Governance Report“. The goal of the competition was to raise the general level of investor relations among listed companies by recognizing the ones that stood out during the year with first-class investor relations.

In the Competitiveness Rankings compiled by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, AS Merko Ehitus won the title of the most competitive large company and for yet another consecutive year was named the most competitive construction company in Estonia.

The Estonian Concrete Association has picked the Tondiraba Ice Arena as its building of the year for 2014. The judges’ panel said it was an architecturally simple and attractive as well as technically complicated building, built in smooth and constructive cooperation, and that the ice arena stands out in terms of making multifaceted use of concrete.

The five-year-long operation to close the Kohtla-Järve industrial waste and semi-coke dump in north-eastern Estonia was completed. In its course, a hill of mine waste amounting to 6 million m³ was relocated, 84 hectares are replanted, a rainwater collection system more than 8 km long is installed, and 2.5 hectare lakes containing liquid oil shale mining residues are closed. The works, undertaken on a very steep slope, were rendered even more complicated by smouldering fires discovered in early 2013, which were buried by a 5 metre layer of soil.

Eesti Energia’s 300 MW Eesti Power Plant was completed. In this project, Merko served as a subcontractor for the French Alstom consortium and performed general construction on 22 buildings. By Estonian standards, this was a very large and international construction project, as companies from close to 20 different European countries were involved in the work and the maximum number of employees approached 1,400 at peak periods.

In Liepāja (Latvia), the Liepājas Dzintars multipurpose centre was finished. Boasting unique architecture, the facility is the new home of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. In addition, the Polipaks production unit was completed. It consists of three workshops, a warehouse and office spaces. Construction was performed on a 67,000 m² area.

AS Merko Ehitus and BLRT Grupp AS founded a joint venture to establish four apartment buildings with commercial space next to the Noblessner Marina directly on the waterfront in the Noblessner Quarter, a Tallinn neighbourhood with a distinguished history. Arhitektuuribüroo Pluss (Architectural Design Office Pluss) is picked as architect of the Noblessner residential district; the winning entry at the international invitational competition was called “Kodusadam” (Home Port).

With the aim to offer its clients a more comprehensive and high-quality service and to improve the efficiency of cooperation between the parties, Merko has introduced model designing. This modern solution allows us to create a better image of the existing building and its volume, to check for discrepancies in design solutions, calculate the construction volumes of the design project and generate visual 3D views of the design. In addition, building simulations allow us to better assess the future energy needs and management costs as well as user friendliness of the designed building.

Merko’s visual identity got a makeover to coincide with the company’s 25^th anniversary. The logo was modernized to reflect that the company is now more than a construction company but caters to the needs of end customers through real estate development and apartment sales. The new logo is friendlier, with smoother outlines, and more harmonious. As a whole, the logotype is more powerful and better integrated with the visual identity of the trademark.

2014

In 2014, Merko’s young researcher and teaching staff member scholarship was awarded to to professor Hendrik Voll, the head of the heating and ventilation chair of Tallinn Technical University and the engineering study scholarships to fourth-year student in the same speciality, Jakov Ivanov.

In the Competitiveness Rankings compiled by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, AS Merko Ehitus Eesti wins the award of most competitive construction company and the Tallinna Teede AS, a road building company that is part of the Merko group, was awarded the title of most competitive small and medium-sized enterprise.

The world’s leading business and investment magazine, Euromoney, acknowledges that AS Merko Ehitus is the best real estate developer in Estonia. Merko triumphes in all five categories, including overall, residential, industrial and leisure.

Merko completes the construction of Tondiraba Ice Arena in 14 months. The multifunctional ice arena consists of a main arena with 5,840 seats, two practice rinks and a curling rink. It’s also a complicated structure, full of special solutions, from the 4,500 reinforced concrete elements, 2,000 square metre seamless concrete floor to the imposing 62-metre span wooden girders. Estonian Association of Construction Entrepreneurs awards Ahto Aruväli, the Project Manager of AS Merko Ehitus Eesti with the Builder of the Year 2014 award for the construction of Tondiraba Ice Arena.

AS Merko Ehitus Eesti joins the official list of recognized construction companies, which was established to make it easier for construction companies to take part in public procurements and to profile honest, recognized construction companies in the private sector. In the words of the Estonian Association of Construction Entrepreneurs, being included on the list certifies to contracting entities that a given construction company is capable of meeting the terms and conditions set forth in the Public Procurements Act.

At Baltic Market Awards 2013 competition, organised by NASDAQ OMX Baltic stock exchanges, AS Merko Ehitus receives third place in the category “Most Visible Improvement over the Year” at raising quality of investor relations.The goal of the competition was to raise the general level of investor relations among listed companies by recognizing the ones that stood out during the year with first-class investor relations.

Each year, Estonia’s best financial director is selected at the BIG4 finance conference. From several dozen candidates, the jury selected five nominees. 2014’s candidates included AS Merko Ehitus Group CFO Signe Kukin. The jury credited Signe Kukin with a significant role in raising the quality of reporting of the consolidated group operating in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, resulting in a more substantive and efficient process of reporting to the management board and external consumers. Signe Kukin has also contributed in improving the Merko Ehitus group’s structure and increasing the efficiency of internal controls.

The winner of the 2013 Civil Engineer of the Year competition, organised by the Estonian Association of Civil Engineers, is Tiit Joosti, Project Director at AS Merko Ehitus Eesti. Tiit Joosti is awarded thanks to his successful management of the construction work at the Ülemiste crossing. The aim of the competition is to demonstrate the value of the profession of civil engineer and to recognise engineers in the construction sector for their outstanding professional achievements.

2013

In 2013, Merko’s engineering study scholarship was awarded to construction economics and management student of Tallinn Technical University Alan Väli and the young researcher and teaching staff member scholarship was received by Andrus Räämet, who has a PhD in civil engineering and environmental technology.

SIA Merks starts providing electrical engineering service in Latvia.

The Ülemiste traffic junction completed in October 2013 wins recognition as the Concrete Structure of the Year 2013 from the Estonian Concrete Association.

The Corporate Band 2013 competition is won by the Merko Ehitus Eesti house band “Ma Sulle Ehitan” (I’ll Build for You).

The Iru waste-to-energy unit is completed in cooperation with an international waste incineration plant expert, the French company Constructions Industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM).

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

Installation of the land part of the Estlink 2 cable.

Construction of Aruküla substation is completed, being delivered as a turnkey project.

2012

AS Merko Ehitus becomes a holding company primarily aimed at developing and implementing strategies for the Group companies, above all through the longer-term planning of resources. Production activity becomes consolidated at the subsidiaries: in Estonia, AS Merko Ehitus Eesti; in Latvia, SIA Merks; and in Lithuania, UAB Merko Statyba.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of Estonia’s Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

The international financial magazine Euromoney names Merko as Estonia’s best real estate developer for 2012.

2011

Historical Pärnu moat is developed into an appealing recreational area that wins the award for s best public infrastructure of the year.

Balsiai school building is completed in Vilnius, winning one of the gold medals at a competition held by the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists – Lithuanian Product of the Year 2011.

AS Merko Infra now includes an electrical work department, which handles engineering, configuration and construction of medium- and high-voltage substation and lines.

2010

Ämari Air Base facilities are completed; Tiit Joosti, who was in charge of the construction work, is recognized with the title of Civil Engineer of the Year 2010.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

2009

Solaris Centre (a shopping mall in downtown Tallinn) and the Tallink office building, the Rannu-Jõesuu bridge and Järvevana road’s Suur-Sõjamäe overpass are completed.

The Tallink office building receives the grand prize from the Estonian Concrete Association for Concrete Building of the Year 2009. Project manager Tarmo Pohlak receives the title of Civil Engineer of the Year 2009.

AS Merko Infra is founded with the purpose of concentrating know-how in the field of infrastructure in a separate company and developing this field of activity in Estonia.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

2008

Viru Prison is completed. Over 2,700 people participated in its construction.

Merko’s largest project to date is completed in Lithuania – Panorama shopping centre.

In Latvia, phase I of the apartment buildings on Skanstes street is completed. A high-quality hotel on Kalnciema street and an office and warehouse complex in Kekava are also finished.

In the field of engineering work, renovation of several bridges is completed.

2007

Projects completed in this year include Sõpruse Ärimaja business complex, the Tallink SPA & Conference hotel, Nordic Hotel Forum, Tornimäe residential building and extension of Smuuli road and Puurmani traffic junction, the arch bridge for the latter is named Concrete Building of the Year for 2007 by the Estonian Concrete Association.

In Latvia, a furniture store opens next to the SPICE shopping centre, a modern office complex rises at the intersection of Duntes/Upes streets, an apartment complex is developed on Kaivas street, the city of Valmiera gets a new shopping centre and the Krajbanka bank headquarters in the Skanstes quarter.

In Lithuania, the Šiauliai shopping centre, the ELINTA industrial building and, as a Merko project, the office and apartment building on Gabijos street, are completed.

A long-term cooperation agreement is signed with the Tallinn University of Technology.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

2006

The overpass between Veose and Vilja streets in the Port of Muuga wins the special builder’s prize at the Concrete Building of the Year 2006 competition.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

2005

The unique Kumu Art Museum building, set into a 24-metre high limestone cliff, is completed. It wins a special prize at the Concrete Building of the Year 2005 competition.

Merko launches cooperation with the Art Museum of Estonia.

The Muuga Coal Terminal is completed and in Riga the multifunctional recreational centre Riga Arena.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

2004

The concept for Estonian Health Tracks is born. The goal of the project is to organize and develop a network of Estonian recreational and sport trails to ensure that the public has year-round, free of charge access to trails and to popularize active lifestyles.

Viru Keskus shopping centre and the Tallink City Hotel are completed, as is the headquarters of Hansabanka (now Swedbank) in Riga. The latter wins the International Real Estate Federation FIABCI’s grand prize for commercial and industrial space – the first winner in the Baltic states.

Merko establishes an electrical engineering department, which remains among the market leaders to this day.

The company’s management system is given certification under international occupational health and safety standard OHSAS 18001.

AS Merko Ehitus wins the title of the Most Competitive Company in the area of construction.

2003

Merko moves into its new office building, developed and constructed by the company itself, at Järvevana 9G, where Merko is still headquartered today.

2002

The expansion of Kristiine shopping centre, Haabersti Citymarket and Norde Centrum, all of them in Tallinn, are completed.

2001

The residential construction division is established, focusing on development and sale of residential buildings.

A 100% stake is acquired in Tallinna Teede AS; as a result, road repair and project management is added to Merko’s service portfolio.

The company is given an international environmental standard ISO 14001 certification.

2000

Sikupilli shopping centre and Radisson SAS Hotel are completed in Estonia; in Riga, the Grand Palace Hotel is renovated, the production facilities for Cēsu Alus brewery are built in Latvia and the headquarters for Lietuvos Telekomas are built in Lithuania.

The turnover of the company breaks the billion Estonian kroon mark (64 million euros).

1999

Merko Ehitus focuses on prime construction contracting and developing project management. The Merko group divests itself of E.L.L Kinnisvara AS.

The engineering division is launched. Its areas of activity are ports, waste treatment sites, roads, bridges, water mains and sewerage lines.

The company is given the international quality standard ISO 9001 certificate.

1998

Merko acquires majority holdings in subsidiaries UAB Merko Statyba (100%) in Lithuania and SIA Merks (100%) in Latvia. Merko becomes the largest construction company in Estonia and the Baltics.

1997

An initial public offering is held; Merko becomes listed in the main list of the Tallinn Stock Exchange. Today the company’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Tallinn.

1996

The company switches to the new business name AS Merko Ehitus, and the company divests itself of all non construction areas of activity.

The state Patent Office registers “merko” and related logo in the state register of trade and service marks.

1995

AS EKE Merko becomes one of the biggest construction companies in Estonia. Projects developed include residential construction (an 18-unit apartment building at Kalda 60A and a 35-unit apartment building at Vilmsi 47 in Tallinn), construction of office and commercial space (the Hansabank building at Liivalaia 6/8) and the work on an automotive dealership continues (ELKE Auto Toyota at Forelli 2 in Tallinn). The renovated historical Salt Storage on Ahtri street is completed.

1994

The company receives a licence to perform restoration work and begins renovating the historical Salt Storage in the Rotermann Quarter into an architecture and art centre.

A residential real estate development is launched – eight-unit apartment buildings are competed at Tungla 15 and Vanemuise 46 in the Nõmme district of Tallinn.

The British Embassy building in Riga, Latvia is renovated.

1993

In Tallinn, phase 1 of the Amserv Toyota car dealership at Pärnu mnt 232 and AS Matkar VW–Audi dealership at Staadioni 1 are completed, as is a 30-apartment/office building at Gonsiori 31A.

Construction is completed in the Russian part of Karelia, with a grade 1-9 school, shopping centre, expansion of the boiler plant and water treatment plants completed in Miinala settlement.

1992

Merko acquires a production and repair facility and office building at Tule 21 in Saue.

Major construction projects are completed in Russian Karelia – an 18-unit apartment building in Ilyinsky and a hangar at Naistenjärvi..

1991

The company is registered in the Harju County registry of companies. The Merko support base is built in Saue. Construction takes place both in Estonia and in the Karelian ASSR in Russia.

1990

Foundation meeting for AS EKE Merko is held on 5 November – EKE Merko acquires the assets and
liabilities of EKE MRK.