Silver and the Public’s Love

“These are projects that bring new energy, drive change in the urban environment, reinterpret traditions, create spaces for community life, and remind us of the importance of culture and coming together,” noted the international jury.

The creators of Konrāds Quarter were honoured: Pēteris Bajārs of OUTOFBOX Architecture, Pēteris Blūms of the architecture firm Konvents, Andis Malahovskis, CEO of Mājas Cēsīs, architect Ieva Elizabete Brudne as well as builders Viktors Ļitvinovs, Kaspars Svētiņš and Pēteris Celms from VIM.

“Konrāds Quarter is our way of saying thank you to Cēsis by investing what we have earned globally through technology into something of lasting value that will hopefully endure for at least another hundred years. The initial idea of restoring a single building that had stood empty for nearly 40 years grew into an ensemble of four distinct buildings: three historic buildings were restored, Draugu nams was newly built, and homes, workspaces, cultural venues, publicly accessible courtyards and meeting places were created. While preserving the quirks, irregularities and imperfections of the Old Town, we integrated modern climate-control, accessibility and building-management technologies into the historic setting, because we wanted to demonstrate the appeal of Cēsis through tangible action, not merely words. The Silver Award at the Latvian Architecture Awards is a significant professional recognition of the work carried out by OUTOFBOX Architecture, the Konvents architecture firm, the restorers, builders and the entire project team, while winning the public vote confirms that Konrāds Quarter has become a vibrant part of Cēsis and yet another reason why people are drawn to the city,” says Agris Tamanis, founder of Draugiem Group, reflecting on the award.

The recipients of the highest honours were selected by an international jury comprising Johan Tali, architect and co-founder of the award-winning architecture studio Molumba (Estonia); Jonas Norsted, co-founder and partner of Atelier Oslo (Norway); and Ute Schneider, architect, urban planner and partner at the international architecture and urban planning firm KCAP (Germany/Switzerland).

The Gold Award, or Grand Prix, went to the renovation of the cultural centre in Salaspils.

The Latvian Architecture Award is the highest distinction in the field of architecture in Latvia. It not only highlights the most significant achievements in Latvian architecture but also invites everyone to discover, consider, evaluate and celebrate good architecture. The event is organised by the Latvian Association of Architects in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

Photos by Lauris Aizupietis.