RIGA PHILHARMONIC
3rd prize
Location
Riga, LV
Competition
2023
Team
Arhitektu birojs JAUNROMĀNS UN ĀBELE, ainavu darbnīca ALPS, KAHLE ACOUSTICS, Studio GERTNERS, ARENSO, EIPB, Ēriks Valdmanis, IE.LA inženieri
TAKE FIVE was recognized as the second best out of 38 proposals in the Riga Philharmonic's international architectural design competition.
The project solution is firmly based in the existing spatial context preserving the original substance of the congress building, respecting the location of the building in the green circle of the boulevard and next to the city canals, as well as its location in the historical center of Riga.
The basic volume of the building and the main eaves are designed at a height of 24m, ensuring a harmonious integration of the Philharmonic building into the structure of the historical center of Riga.
A glazed gallery-type extension is planned on the park side, a solution that would harmoniusly blend into the park and would create the image of an open, inviting concert hall. The new addition would minimally affect the existing substance.
The new facades are planned from rhythmic metal columns placed in several rows, creating a volatile transition from the interior to the exterior and visually evoking associations with pipe organ.
A layout seeks a balance between the existing and the new, as well as between the needs of visitors and musicians. Currently, the facades and interior of the Congress House create a stylistically unified image, so one of the project goals was to preserve the existing lobby as much as possible alongside the facades (the preservation of the existing main hall is not possible due to acoustic requirements). Thinking about the well-being of the building`s users, the resident rooms are mostly oriented towards the south, with a view of the canal. On the 5th floor a roof terrace for musicians is planned.
When developing the configuration of the large hall, the basic principles of "shoebox" concert hall design were followed, creating all the prerequisites for achieving excellent symphonic music acoustics. Thanks to the way the hall is designed as a compact "shoebox" shape, it is possible to preserve three of the four walls of the existing hall, functionally using them as an external sound insulating shell.