VAS ‘Valsts nekustamie īpašumi’ invites contractors to bid in a tender for the renovation of the Latvian Puppet Theatre and the improvement of energy efficiency at Kr. Barona iela 16/18, Riga. The aesthetic and technical condition of the building will be improved, the staff and visitors of the theatre will get a more comfortable and positive work environment, and at the same time about 60% savings of heating energy will be achieved, allowing the savings to be redirected to other goals, informs Renārs Griškevičs.
During the construction the exterior walls, base, attic and roof of the building will be insulated, windows and wooden exterior doors will be replaced, the existing heating unit will be modernised, the heating system will be rebuilt and modernised, and the existing ventilation system will be reconstructed. By insulating the roof and replacing its cover, the ceiling of the small hall will be raised for the convenience of both spectators and actors, which will at the same time provide an opportunity to diversify the range of performances available to spectators and also to stage the puppet play. The renovation works of the Latvian Puppet Theatre are planned to already start this summer and be completed by the end of 2022. The project will create an orderly environment for the staff of the theatre and the younger theatre lovers. With the implementation of the project, “freshness” will flow into the Latvian Puppet Theatre, which will definitely further promote the creativity of our artists,’ R. Griškevičs points out.
In addition, before the installation of the insulation, the load-bearing structures and foundations of the building will be strengthened, thus ensuring the sustainability of the results to be achieved within the energy efficiency improvement project and preventing damage to the building structures. In the course of the design work started last year, VNĪ had suspicions regarding the technical condition of the building structures, which could not be assessed sufficiently by visual inspection, therefore before the design was completed in 2020 an in-depth study of the building was carried out, confirming that the depreciation of the load-bearing structures of the building exceeds 40%, and it was found to be unsatisfactory, as well as damage was found in the load-bearing structures of the mezzanine floor of the building, therefore it was decided to terminate the operation of certain premises and attract additional funding for strengthening the structures of the building.
The design work was performed by SIA Livland Group. Contractors are invited to apply for the tender here: https://www.eis.gov.lv/EKEIS/Supplier/Procurement/58535.
The renovation project of the Latvian Puppet Theatre is financed from the funding attracted by the Ministry of Culture from the second round of project application, selection of the European Union funds Operational Programme ‘Growth and Employment’ 4.2.1 of the specific support objective ‘To promote the increase of energy efficiency in public and residential buildings’ and 4.2.1.2 of the specific support objective ‘To promote the increase of energy efficiency in public buildings’ and state budget funds (including Covid-19 funding for stimulating the economy through investments in construction).
The building at Kr.Barona iela 16/18 has cultural and historical value. In the two-storey building that was built in 1911, according to the project of architect Ernests Pole, a cinema, a pharmacy, a book printing and stamp workshop, a café and several shops were located. The Latvian Puppet Theatre has been operating here since 1944. The small building is located in the protection zone of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site ‘Historic Centre of Riga’.
In order to achieve savings in heat and electricity costs in public sector buildings, as well as to improve the technical and aesthetic condition of buildings, in 2019 VNĪ attracted funding from the European Regional Development Fund for eleven energy efficiency improvement projects in public buildings - four of which are implemented in theatres: Valmiera Drama Theatre, New Riga Theatre, Latvian Puppet Theatre and Daile Theatre, two - in the buildings of the State Archives of Latvia - at Skandu iela in Riga and a project already completed in 2020 - Daugavpils branch of the State Archives of Latvia at Komandanta iela 9. In 2020, the energy performance of the building also improved at S. Broka Daugavpils Music Secondary School, the President's residence in Jūrmala and the new Prosecutor's office building at Aspazijas bulvāris 7 in Riga.
Last year, under the conditions of the pandemic, 17 national development projects with a total budget of 29.5 million euros were completed under the leadership of VNĪ. Under the conditions of the pandemic, in accordance with the precautionary and safety requirements, work at 43 national construction sites with a total project budget of 156 million euros continues under the management of VNĪ. VNĪ provides professional real estate management and administration for approximately 400 real estate properties with 1100 buildings of 1.02 million square metres and more than 3600 land properties with an area of 9.6 million square metres. VNĪ was founded in 1996, 100% owned by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia.
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