SPECIAL MENTION

VIZIUM Science and Innovation Centre

Ventspils (LV)

ARCHITECTS Audrius Ambrasas Architects, Vilnius (LT)

INSTALLER Uppe, Brankas (LV)

MATERIAL TECU^® Classic_coated_bond

“With a grand sweeping gesture, the project seems to be cast into the landscape. The environmental conditions themselves seem to have called for this solution. The copper façade solution underlines the naturalness of the integration into the context.”

The Jury's statement

The Science and Innovation Centre in Ventspils, completely wrapped in copper, was designed as a unity of architecture and landscape, as an open and inviting landmark. The silhouettes of the building and the hill merge here. New public spaces such as the Science Hill rising from the plain, an open roof terrace and a viewpoint are available to all visitors. The building design divides the site into two parts. The western part houses the vehicle access and parking areas, while operational traffic enters the building – separated from visitor access – from the south. The eastern part of the site is characterised by the hill, which provides space for picnics and open-air events and offers a view of the river. The hill leads to the roof terrace with access to the public facilities (café, conference hall and main lobby) on the first floor. Further development of the building and the city continues along the roof slope towards the observation deck, which offers impressive panoramic views. The building itself is also divided into two parts for functional reasons – the science centre forms the lower part of the volume, while the innovation centre occupies the 6 floors of the upper part.

PHOTOS . NORBERT TUKAJ