Restoration of the façade and roof of the Ministry of Economics building at 55 Brīvības Street completed
Published: 08.03.2021
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The renovated Ministry of Economics building at 55 Brīvības Street in Riga was commissioned on 5 March. The Neo-Renaissance-style building underwent façade and roof renovation, as well as the restoration of balconies, windows and certain basement ceiling structures. The works were completed on schedule despite the pandemic, improving the quality of the working environment for the institution’s employees, the appearance of the building and the sustainability of the property, reports Renārs Griškevičs, Chairman of the Board of the state-owned company “Valsts nekustamie īpašumi”.
Renovation works on the historic Art Nouveau building in central Riga began in the summer of 2019 and were completed within a year and a half—in December 2020. “The renovation works took place during the pandemic, with the necessary occupational safety measures observed and the instructions of the National Heritage Board of Latvia followed to preserve the cultural and historical features. Regardless of the building’s future development scenarios, the investments made at the current home of the Ministry of Economics will only increase the value of the property,” R. Griškevičs notes.
The renovation works were carried out by the association of companies SIA “Delta Construction” and SIA “SCM Latvia”. Total investment in the project amounted to €1.91 million (including VAT), with the larger share (€1.85 million) financed from the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage project programme “Prevention of hazards and emergency situations in state-owned buildings located within the territory of the ‘Historic Centre of Riga’”, while the smaller share (€60,500) came from VNĪ’s proceeds from disposals. To strengthen safety and minimise inconvenience for those working in the building, the renovation works were carried out sequentially, beginning with the restoration of the street-side façade. At the same time, the plasterwork and paintwork of the façades in the courtyards were restored, while the existing wooden windows and doors on the street-side façade were restored, the roof was renovated and other works were carried out. A lift has been installed at one of the building’s entrances for people with disabilities.
“We thank VNĪ for the work carried out. The building has undoubtedly become much more visually appealing; the façade problems identified previously have been resolved, and the building’s energy-efficiency indicators have been significantly improved by restoring the wooden windows and doors. As a result, the building has become safer both for every passer-by and for the employees of the ministry and certain institutions working in the building,” says Edmunds Valantis, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics.
Alongside the renovation of the building at 55 Brīvības Street in Riga, possibilities for centralising the Ministry of Economics and its subordinate institutions in a single property are currently being examined in cooperation with representatives of the Ministry of Economics. This would ensure an optimised allocation of space, modern working conditions and more efficient use of resources in the long term. It has been publicly reported that, in accordance with the conceptual decision adopted on 14 August 2018 concerning the relocation of the Ministry of Economics and its subordinate institutions to a single building, the building at 2 Elizabetes Street was proposed for this purpose. However, following the government’s decision to develop the idea of a national concert hall at that location, another alternative must be sought for the further centralisation of the Ministry of Economics.
“The issue of locating the ministry and its subordinate institutions in a single building remains relevant, as this would ensure long-term savings of resources and a working environment that meets modern requirements. The façade of the building at 55 Brīvības Street has been restored; the internal engineering systems and interior spaces now need to be renovated. The technical inspection report for the building, issued in 2019, recommends replacing the old water-system pipes built into the structures, which can only be done after the employees vacate the entire building. To create a working environment that meets modern requirements, a functional and economical layout of the premises is needed, moving away from the ‘office’ system,” E. Valantis notes.
The building at 55 Brīvības Street in Riga was constructed in 1900 to a design by Vilhelms Neimanis. It was built by the Riga House Construction Joint Stock Company and is the first multi-storey masonry building in this area. The building embodies the fundamental concept of Art Nouveau and was constructed as a rental house. The façade is designed in Romanticised Neo-Renaissance forms, using sketches by the Berlin architect A. Giesecke. The last major renovation works at 55 Brīvības Street were carried out in the early 1990s, when some of the windows were replaced; copies based on the originals were made during the replacement process. Between 1992 and 1993, as part of the window-replacement project, the stained-glass windows inside the building were also recreated and partially restored. These works were carried out by stained-glass experts Aigars Roziņš, Vallija Graudiņa and Viesturs Bērziņš.
Last year, VNĪ also completed 17 other development projects of national significance, with a total budget of €29.5 million. Under VNĪ’s management, the façades of a number of socially significant buildings were restored—the Pharmacy Museum, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, the “Arsenāls” Exhibition Hall, the President’s residence in Jūrmala, the Ministry of Economics, the Ombudsman’s Office, the building of the National Archives of Latvia in Daugavpils andStaņislavs Broks Daugavpils Music Secondary School.
The company is currently implementing 118 infrastructure development projects worth approximately €180 million and is working on 25 new project ideas. It provides professional property management and administration services for approximately 450 properties comprising 1,400 buildings with a total area of 1.1 million square metres, as well as more than 4,000 land properties covering 10 million square metres. In the Sustainability Index assessment by the Institute for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, VNĪ received the high Gold award, demonstrating good governance and the sustainability of its operations. The company was established in 1996, and its sole shareholder, with a 100% stake, is the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia.
Information prepared by:
State-owned company “Valsts nekustamie īpašumi”
Corporate Communications Division
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