Date 12 December, 2023
Time11.00
Location Riga Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Ķīpsalas iela 6, 4.stāvs, Zīmētava

The opening meeting of the Riga Philharmonic sketch design competition will take place on 12 December at 11:00  at Riga Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Workshop (4th floor), 6 Ķīpsalas Street. The meeting and press conference will be attended by Agnese Logina, Minister of the Culture , Dace Vilsone, State Secretary of the Ministry of the Culture, Edvards Ratnieks, Deputy Chairman of the Riga City Council, Juris Poga, President of the Latvian Association of Architects,Indra Lūkina, Member of the Board of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, and Gatis Didrihsons, Chairman of the Jury of the Competition. 

A total of 38 sketch designs were submitted to the Riga Philharmonic Architecture Competition, and 6 of them were selected for the second round of the competition. The anonymity of the participants remains until the results of the second round of the competition are announced. The total remuneration for the second round of the competition is EUR 30,000 for each of the six applicants. The total prize fund for the second round of the competition is EUR 60,000, which will be distributed according to the jury's decision.

In order to provide everyone with the opportunity to follow the transcripts of the opening meeting, live stream will be available on the Riga City Council website www.riga.lv and "Riga" Facebook account.

The competition's second round sketch designs will be displayed until 15 January on the 4th floor of the Faculty of Architecture of Riga Technical University on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00.

The aim of the sketch design competition was to find the best, architecturally and functionally most well-thought-out and sustainable vision for the future development of the Riga Philharmonic by rebuilding the Riga Congress Hall at 5 Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street, and to select the designer of the construction project.

The submitted sketch designs were assessed by an international jury: Gatis Didrihsons, Jury Chair (architect, member of the Council of the Latvian Association of Architects, member of the National Architecture Council), Jury members: Pēteris Ratas (Mg.arch, Member of the Latvian Association of Architects, Riga City Architect, Head of Riga City Architect Service), Juris Dambis (Dr.arch, Head of the National Cultural Heritage Board, Member of the National Architecture Council, Member of the Latvian Association of Architects), Liene Griezīte (architect, Member of the Latvian Association of Architects), Indra Purs (landscape architect, Chair of the Latvian Association of Landscape Architects, Member of the National Architecture Council), Guntars Ķirsis (Board Member of VSIA "Latvijas Koncerti", Board Member of SIA "Dzintaru koncertzāle"), Rolandas Palekas (Mg.arch, representative of the Lithuanian Association of Architects), Katrin Koov (M.arch, representative of the Estonian Association of Architects (EAA)), David Cook (architect, member of the German Association of Architects BDA, member of RIBA), Aivar Mäe (conductor, manager, Estonia), Indra Lūkina (Member of the Board, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra), Juris Poga (M.Arch, President of the Latvian Association of Architects, member of the National Architecture Council).

After the opening of the transcripts, the Property Department will verify the eligibility of the participants in the second round sketch design competition in accordance with the professional classification requirements laid down in the competition regulations.

The maximum contract amount for the design and supervision of the Riga Philharmonic (excluding construction supervision costs) is EUR 3.5 million.

Information prepared by Solvita Brence-Kauste, project coordinator, Riga City Council Department of External Communication, e-mail: solvita.brence@riga.lv