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WORKERS' BARRACKS





The ensemble of wooden residential buildings is located in a historically very valuable area, in Ķīpsala, in the buffer zone protected by UNESCO World Heritage. It is the zone of the state-protected urban construction monument No. 8327 “Ķīpsala historical building”. The aim of the project is to preserve the existing wooden workers' residential houses as an interesting landmark and evidence of a certain construction period.
Both buildings were built at the beginning of the 20th century (1910 and 1913) according to the design of the architect Mārtiņš Nukša. Judging by the materials of the Riga Construction Board archive, they were not distinguished by high construction quality from the very beginning. However, the composition of the building ensemble and the simple architecture of the volumes with all the bay windows are captivating and it would be a pity if they disappeared from Ķīpsala forever. The buildings were built as typical workers' apartments of that time - each family has a walk-through kitchen with a stove and one living room with an oven. The basement floor of both buildings is bricked, sunk into the ground, forming wet semi-basement rooms with vaulted ceilings. The two upper floors are made of wood-frame structures with smooth external plaster, dry and sufficiently high attic floors, where laundry was dried. Until the reconstruction, both houses had stove heating, dry hallways, and only cold water supply.
The reconstruction proposal envisages placing small apartments in residential buildings, preserving the basic structure of the buildings and the distinctive, simple, but charming architectural image. In the renovated form, the buildings have been given a fresher overall look, highlighting the wooden part and the bricked basement, the sloping bricked firewall, complementing the buildings with balconies, ground floor and roof terraces, and skylights. The added details and modernization have been carried out delicately and very carefully, trying not to lose the recognition of the workers' barracks.
Underground parking lots are planned to be built under the buildings, placing both buildings on a concrete slab and raising them above the ground. As a result, the existing first-floor semi-basement apartments will acquire a full-fledged living space situation and will be supplemented with adjacent outdoor terraces on the rear facades of the buildings. It is planned to build two elevators in the buildings near the existing staircases, which begin in the underground parking lot.
Reconstruction project of two residential buildings
Riga, Kipsala, Ogļu Street 4
Architects: Zaiga Gaile, Ingmārs Atavs, Ineta Solzemniece-Saleniece
Client: SIA “Ziemeļzunds”, SIA “PMT INVEST”
Total number of apartments in both buildings - 21
Total living area 1600 m2
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