12 LĪNIJAS – Reconstruction of 3 apartment buildings

PROJECT: 12 LĪNIJAS – Reconstruction of 3 apartment buildings

LOCATION: Gertrudes Street 121, Riga, Latvia

YEAR: 2017

ARCHITECT / FIRM: 12 LĪNIJAS

BUYER: Rentējas

SURFACE: 5.166 sqm

PRICE: € under 1000 sqm/

DESCRIPTION:
There was and still is quite a typical city planning situation for the periphery of the center of Riga.The building facing the street having fancier apartments and the street facade decorated according to the tradition of the period. The courtyard buildings having apartments for the working class (originally one-room apartments with entrance through the kitchen and shared toilets in the corridor by the staircase). Brick facades facing the courtyard without plaster, which we saw and used as value now in the reconstruction. A significant element - to give the feeling that the new structures are blended well with the context.

BALANCE BETWEEN CONSERVATION AND REPLACEMENT: The new program is in balance with the existing one.

DESCRIPTION:
The aim of the developer did not differ much from the original aim ~100 years ago - to have as many compact rental apartments, only given the standards of nowadays. The fact these houses are usually fully rent out serves as a good proof of the main goals achieved.

TOTAL CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The investor is the property owner.

DESCRIPTION:
The property owner is the investor.

- SURFACE present EXTENSION,

PREVALENT CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The overall dimensions increase moderately with respect to the pre-existing surface.

- VOLUME present EXTENSION,

PREVALENT CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The overall dimensions increase moderately with respect to the pre-existing volume.

DESCRIPTION:
The different characters of the street and courtyard buildings lead to the different approach of the reconstruction. Street building - the added mansard floor apartments are made with as modest modifications to the existing volume of the roof as possible to gain comfortable apartments. Courtyard buildings - on the contrary - were given a clear distinction between the old and the new volumes.

BALANCE BETWEEN CONSERVATION AND REPLACEMENT: The new spaces are in balance with respect to the pre- existing spaces.

DESCRIPTION:
The pre-existing spaces are given new planing. Pre-existing apartments are being modified to meet the standards of nowadays. The main transformations in the volume are 2 storeys for both courtyard buildings, which used to be 4 storey high.

TOTAL CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The original supporting structure is fully preserved and there are no new structures.

DESCRIPTION:
The original supporting structures are kept and reinforced to meet the necessary requirements according to the load added with the new structures.

BALANCE BETWEEN CONSERVATION AND REPLACEMENT: The materials chosen for the new intervention balance similarities and differences with the existing ones.

DESCRIPTION:
The original supporting structures are brick load-bearing walls and timber floor beams. The new supporting structure is mostly timber with several steal elements needed. In this case, the timber load-bearing constructions for the newly built floors were chosen not to cause too much load on the old structures of the old building, as well as a sustainable material for the region. The facade trim for new volumes was chosen to be made with metal plates, representing both the functional as well as aesthetic qualities of the usual roofing materiality.

BALANCE BETWEEN CONSERVATION AND REPLACEMENT: The new intervention balances elements of continuity and discontinuity with respect to existing structures.

DESCRIPTION:
The different characters of the street and courtyard buildings lead to the different approach of the reconstruction. Street building - the added mansard floor apartments are made with as modest modifications to the existing volume of the roof as possible to gain comfortable apartments. Courtyard buildings - on the contrary - were given a clear distinction between the old and the new volumes. The volume of the 5th floor is placed on the inner edge of the existing brick walls and the 6th floor pulled out to form a console. Besides the visual and conceptual effect, this has given also some extra m2, thus it was possible to provide these compact apartments with their own outer space. Special attention was paid to landscaping - residents were given the chance to enjoy their own, even though small city yards. When starting to work on the project it was clear that there has been an awkward annex to the original structure of the 3rd building made during the Soviet times – in order to get two extra rooms the original passage to the green and intimate courtyard was blocked. The decision to open it gave a chance to make a new entrance to the building and the possibility to reach the intimate courtyard. Now it can be used for growing greens and spices in special plant boxes and physical activities. Sustainability issues gains - old cobblestones from the same site used for a great part of the courtyards.