SJSC State Real Estate (SRE) has started the development of a renovation project for the building at 15 Gaujas Street with the aim of optimising State Police Riga Regional Administration premises and adapting the building to the needs of the State Police. The plan of the project is to relocate the State Police structural units, currently situated in seven different buildings, to two adjacent buildings at the same address, as well as to provide police officers with modern and energy-efficient working conditions, improving cooperation and communication between the structural units, informs Renārs Griškevičs.
The development of the project has started with the aim to centralise the State Police in two adjacent buildings at one address instead of the previous seven buildings at three addresses. The buildings currently used by the state police authorities - 89 Stabu Street, 15 Gaujas Street k-1 and 12 Klusā Street, 12 k-1, 12 k-2, 12 k-3 have low energy efficiency and their average depreciation is 40%. It is planned that after the renovation of the building at 15 Gaujas Street, the total area used by the State Police would decrease by 24%, which will save money on the maintenance of the buildings in the long run. It is planned that meeting, discussion (interrogation) rooms, warehouses and other specific rooms will be shared in the building at 15 Gaujas Street. At the same time, by renovating the building at 15 Gaujas Street, the number of degraded buildings managed by SRE in Riga will be reduced.
Currently, the state budget funding of 145,000 euros (including VAT) has been allocated for the technical research of the building, 3D laser surveying and the development of the construction project in a minimum composition. 3D laser surveying of the building is performed by SRE, while in June 2022 an agreement was concluded with SIA “JaunRīga ECO” for 87 360 euros (without VAT) for the technical research of the building and development of the construction project in the minimum composition with a term up to December 2022. After the development of the minimum composition of the construction project, calculations will be made on the necessary investments for the renovation and adaptation of the building.
“We see the centralisation of offices and the optimal use of premises as one of the sustainability criteria - the goal of SRE is to provide a modern, well-managed and energy-efficient work environment for all public institutions in the long run. In recent years, the work environment has undergone rapid changes, including in the public sector, and SRE itself is an example of how adapting working conditions to modern requirements saves resources, improves work efficiency, increases employee well-being and involvement, and we have observed this; within the scope of the pilot project, we are allowing public sector employees to get acquainted with the activities-based office of SRE at 1 Talejas Street. In the development of the renovation project of the building at 15 Gaujas Street, the guidelines for the establishment of the SRE public sector office and the specific requirements of the State Police will be observed ,” points out Griškevičs.
Chief of the State Police Armands Ruks: “When I became Chief of the State Police, one of the most important priorities was to improve the infrastructure and working environment of the State Police. Modern, humane working conditions and provision must be the standard, as police officers deserve to work in an orderly and motivated environment. Therefore, it is a real pleasure that within the year and eight months since I took office, what is planned is finally moving in a positive direction and the future is looking a little more positive. At the same time, we are grateful to the Ministry of the Interior, the State Security Agency and the SRE for their investment and purposeful resolution of the problem. The implementation of this project is also important in the context of changes the police is undergoing. Only by working together can we build and strengthen a modern police force.”
For the needs of the Ministry of the Interior, SRE has implemented projects in the amount of more than 18 million euros in the last 10 years, including the building of the Internal Security Office in 1A Kr. Valdemāra Street, Riga, State Police Latgale Region Office Buildings at 7 Komandanta Street, 8 Konstantīna Street and 3 Hospitāļu Street, Daugavpils, Cēsis Depot of the State Fire and Rescue Service. Currently, in parallel with the work on the improvement and optimisation of the premises of the institutions subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior, SRE is working on the renovation of the building of the General Prosecutor's Office at 6 Kalpaka Boulevard. Whereas in 2020, as part of the centralisation of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Latvia, SRE put into service the renovated former police building at 7 Aspazijas Boulevard adapted to the needs of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Latvia, which houses nine structural units of the institution that were previously located in five different addresses in Riga.
SRE currently continues working on 46 different national construction sites, with a total project budget of more than 230 million euros. The company provides professional real estate management and administration for approximately 365 real estate properties consisting of 1100 buildings with a total floor area of 0.95 million square metres, along with land beneath the buildings covering 602 hectares and more than 3536 land properties with an area of 903 hectares. SRE is one of 23 Latvian companies that has received the highest platinum award as part of the Sustainability Index of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, confirming the good governance and sustainability of its operations. The company was founded in 1996 and is 100% owned by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia.
