For some time now, we’ve been enjoying a rapid upswing in the country’s economic statistics, and growing ambitions in the sphere of culture can most properly be regarded as a natural element in the process of advancement of the country and society. In addition to those future great flagships of culture, the “New “Three Brothers” ” projects, namely the National Library, the Riga Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art, striving to join this process are a string of satellites, whose public appearance could represent a significant new cultural network.
ually implemented. One of the results was the founding of the Museum of Decorative Applied Art
The city of Riga, in its 2006–2018 territorial plan, has also clearly envisaged the presence of culture. For example, by its plan to integrate the Spî˚eri (warehouse) quarter next to the Central Market into the city’s social and commercial infrastructure, and particularly its cultural and recreational aspect, as one of the places in the city where development of the cultural, educational and health industry will concentrate, for which purpose it has set aside the area between Maskavas iela and Turgeñeva iela.
At the beginning of November, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design approached state and municipal institutions with an initiative that also caught the attention of the media. The proposal from the museum was to turn one of the old warehouses of the Maskavas iela – Turgeñeva iela quarter into a centre for industrial design exhibitions. This current phase of reconsidering values has brought the realisation that Latvian professional industrial design developed mainly during the Soviet era, which is perhaps the reason why no museum has so far undertaken to systematically bring together the evidence relating to Latvian design. The history of design in Latvia is still a treasure store worth discovering, and one that also holds potential for the tourist industry – the exhibits in the permanent exhibitions of such a centre might turn out more interesting for visitors from abroad than the classic design icons repeated with oppressing uniformity in museums across the world. However, the traditional frame of a museum would be too restrictive: nowadays, museums around the world are concentrating on communication with the public as a priority. Museums of architecture and design have taken on responsibility as institutions that, through their exhibition policy, seminars, conferences, series of lectures, interactive activities and annual awards, are actively participating and directing contemporary processes and thus promoting the quality of life in the country.
A cultural site of this kind would constitute a central feature within an area that is currently somewhat run-down, but which has potential as an outstandingly attractive location on the bank of the Daugava. It would serve to organise the development of the whole area and make it accessible to the public. Moreover, such a warehouse building (the warehouses have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the industrial heritage), perhaps enhanced with a new structure, would constitute a visual and semantic link with the former Church of St George, the home of the present Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, since this building, too, had served as a warehouse since the 17th–18th century. An opinion poll has also indicated that Rigans wish to see active public life in the Spî˚eri quarter by the bank of the Daugava, viewing the historic buildings themselves as providing a place for cultural functions.
On 3–7 November 2006, an international architectural competition was held in Riga, devoted to the development of the Spî˚eri district, in order to transform it into a contemporary urban environment accessible to the public, while respecting the historical heritage. Among other things, the competition addressed the task of establishing a feature open to the public – a museum or exhibition hall – corresponding to the needs of the social infrastructure of the country as a whole and the city. This would be housed in the buildings belonging to the municipality, as well as in the open spaces within the district, or in spaces from which low-quality buildings should be removed.
Eight architectural offices took part in the competition: Brisac Gonzalez Architects (London), Caramel architekten (Vienna), JKMM (Helsinki) and Snøhetta (Oslo), as well as the Latvian offices ArPlan, the E. Vecumnieks Architectural Office, Postformprojekts and Valeinis un Stepe. The winner was the Norwegian office Snøhetta, which had already triumphed in several competitions in Latvia. The jury awarded three third places (to the offices ArPlan, JKMM, and Valeinis un Stepe), as well as a special award to Postformprojekts for its innovative approach.
The architects from Snøhetta had undertaken the most comprehensive analysis of the urban environment, and their proposal was the most sensitive towards the historic Spî˚eri district. The project envisaged a continuation of the park along the canal from the ring of boulevards to the Daugava. By redirecting the course of Maskavas iela so that it runs right along the fish pavilion, space for the museum would be obtained. The large museum building, aligned with the market pavilions, would establish a link between Old Riga and the Spî˚eri district.
Both the utopian and more realistic visions for planning this area were marked by a common tendency. The designing of public cultural buildings is evidently such an attraction for architects that, for the most part, they did not envisage adapting the museum building to the existing possibilities, but instead presented it as a new, architecturally ambitious structure. Thus, Postformprojekts envisaged it as a dynamic structure that could change its size and form, Caramel architekten saw it as a several-storey platform with a museum, cinema and restaurant, while in the design by JKMM it took the form of a sloping platform/amphitheatre, hiding within it the exhibition hall.
The situation is open and hopeful. At least at the present moment, it is a broad field of opportunities, none of which have yet been missed. The city has the possibility of obtaining an island of culture in its historic centre, while the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design has the potential of becoming one of Latvia’s new cultural brands. The museum has begun talking to potential investors about reconstruction of one of the warehouse buildings. The initial response from the city authorities towards the museum’s initiative has been positive. The next step is the formulation of the economic models that will underpin the museum’s activities. And it has to attract the state’s support.