The office building was inspired by the arches of the historic brewery. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has won an international competition for the redevelopment of Kimmel Quarter, a historic district in the heart of the Latvian capital of Riga. The 19th century Kimmel Brewery complex, now mostly abandoned, will be transformed into a mixed-use center featuring a new office building, hotel, and an array of public facilities. Schmidt Hammer Lassen was one of eleven participants, with firms such as Henning Larsen and Zaha Hadid invited to the open competition.
The winning proposal for the 120,000-square-foot (11,500-square-meter) district manifests as a vibrant, public-orientated program, including a gym, child care center, café, food court, and spa. A series of courtyards and plazas are laced throughout the scheme, connecting old and new in a “timeless, classic appearance that is also uniquely contemporary.”
Surfaces and facades are constructed from recycled brick. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Courtyards offer a connection between old and new. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Throughout the scheme’s development, the design team sought to modernize the brewery site without losing its unique, historic roots. Where possible, the existing buildings at Kimmel Quarter will remain unaltered, maintaining the authentic charm of Riga’s historic fabric. The new central office building will be constructed partly from recycled bricks taken from the site, with a form inspired by the arches of the historic brewery. Recycled bricks will also be used for the revival of the brewery’s former industrial yard into a vibrant plaza, featuring brick and timber benches, lush landscaping, and water elements fed with rainwater runoff.
Office terrace. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
We wanted to create a new composition of building volumes as pragmatic and straightforward as the old industrial complex with a dynamic façade that pushes back and forth and up and down. The resulting architecture is distinctly modern, but in a rewarding dialogue with the old restored buildings. We have designed a new Kimmel Quarter in which history and the future are bound by timeless architecture.
-Rasmus Kierkegaard, Associate Partner, Schmidt Hammer Lassen.
Conceptual sketch. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Conceptual sketch. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
The scheme responds to Riga’s ambition to meet the European Union’s 2020 climate goals. The office building’s rectangular grid facades are designed to allow maximum natural daylight inside, while lamellas mitigate against overheating from direct sunlight.
Through this combination of modernization, preservation, and sustainability, the architects believe Kimmel Quarter “has the potential to become an example for future development of the city of Riga.”
News via: Schmidt Hammer Lassen
Schmidt Hammer Lassen to Develop New Urban District at Former Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, in collaboration with Holscher Nordberg Architects, has been selected to lead a 120,000-square-foot (36,000-square-meter) redevelopment of the new Carlsberg City district in Copenhagen. Located on the former site of the famous Carlsberg Brewery, the project will incorporate the area’s historic industrial elements in creating a new sustainable city district with inviting open spaces, public transportation, and a series of context-sensitive new buildings, including a 262-foot-tall (80-meter-tall) residential tower.