Vilnius, Lithuania
“What is striking about Vilnius is the juxtaposition of buildings of different periods, whereby two-story wooden houses, baroque churches, grand neoclassical ensembles, modernist buildings of the Soviet period, and sparkling new glass high rise buildings sit cheek by jowl,” states Simon Smithson, Partner at RSHP.
“The site for our building reflects this heterogeneity with the buildings on each of the four boundaries pertaining to different eras in the evolution of the city.”
“Our design aims to meld these diverse contexts together shaping a route between the old Vilnius and the new.”
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) together with landscape architects Gillespies have won an international competition organized by the Lithuanian Union of Architects and Right Bank Development Fund, managed by Lords LB Asset Management, to design a new carbon zero 19,200sq m business center within the CBD in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania.
The scheme will provide over 16,000sq m of office space over the 7-story business center.
A new city square and public roof terrace are at the heart of the design for a new business complex located at a crossroads between the old and the new in the city of Vilnius.
Easy access to nature and public spaces is a distinct feature of Vilnius and the design themes for the landscape have purposefully been drawn from the local context, including the site’s proximity to the river, indigenous tree species, and surrounding landscape, helping to give distinct character to the scheme whilst embedding it into the city.
The project is located on Konstitucijos Avenue at the heart of the CBD and is conceived as a public space and entrance to the new business center.
A scheme is a place for coming together, linking the CBD with the Old Town through an arcade of shops and cafes as well as a covered public street through the heart of the new business center.
Above the new street is a grand staircase, visible to the public and connects one side of the courtyard with the other.
A sequence of platforms and planted landings float within the space connected by an array of generously scaled steps.
These create a central venue that is as much about gathering to meet, greet or retreat as it is about movement.
“A new square and public roof terrace aim to improve wellbeing, encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing as well as act as a social meeting place for everyone. The roof terrace will also provide a wonderful viewing platform overlooking Vilnius Old Town skyline,” states Stephen Richards, Partner, Gillespies.
Above is a fully glazed atrium roof incorporating automated natural ventilation and solar control systems to allow daylight into the heart of the building while ensuring a comfortable environment.
Through a balance of passive design features supported by science-based engineering solutions, the team has paved the way for a nearly net-zero carbon development, maximizing passive measures, utilizing energy-efficient generation, optimized HVAC, and offsetting energy demands with renewable technologies.
Reducing embodied carbon is a critical ambition for the design. For this project, we have created the illusion of a “column-free” space.
The floor beams have support from three trusses spanning the length of the building and a secondary floor frame supporting short floor spans of 5.25m, utilizing cross-laminated timber floor planks to achieve a significant embodied carbon reduction compared to conventional construction techniques.
Materials, where possible, are intended to be locally sourced to reflect the local environment and material heritage of Vilnius.
Project: Office Block in Vilnius
Architects: Rogers, Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP)
Landscape Architects: Gillespies. LLP.
Structural Engineers: Buro Happold
Client: Right Bank Development Fund
