Tabakas fabrikas radošais kvartāls Miera ielā, Rīgā

THE ARCHITECTURAL VISION FOR COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TabFab CREATIVE QUARTER

SKRR2020 Riga 2018

EXISTING SITUATION

Tobacco Factory area is located on Miera street that has already developed as a place for creative industries with multiple creative quarters like Piena kvartāls, Latvian Artist association “Kombināts Māksla”, K.K. fon Stricka villa, Tallinas street quarter and Miera ielas republic and future developments like Riga Makerspace and Tobacco factory itself.

The Tobacco factory area consists of multiple industrial and ware house buildings built mostly in the 19th century for the factory functionality. Unfortunately, some of the buildings have lost the original substance as they have been supplemented with additional layers of reconstruction in multiple stages during their lifetime especially the most recent temporary addition for temporary mov ing the JRT theater functionality.

In the current state, the area has lost the main industrial image of the territory and does not have a particular architectural image, character and associations that could help promote the idea of a creative quarter and compliment the vision of Miera street devel opment.

Existing buildings and the public space does not correspond to the principles of an aesthetic and high environmental quality. The layout of buildings is not functional nor sustainable and the quarter doesn’t function as a self-sufficient complex.

SITUATION

/ City Lounge - Red Square, Switzerland /

/ La Villette park, Paris, France /

CONCEPT

The proposal of the Tobacco Factory creates a new territory identity highlighting the new architectural quality that interacts with the preserved existing buildings. Developing a creative quarter, acting as a cultural and creative platform, promoting inter-disciplinarity with higher education, business, culture and society interactions.

Landmark and new image

The Riga Photo/Cinema museum is the main venue from Miera Street will act as an accelerator for the further development of the Brasa neighborhood. It is the main landmark of the quarter that creates a strong architectural image, provides public cultural education for neighborhood and creates contrast between the new architecture and the existing industrial buildings.

Existing building use

The main development goal is to integrate and re-use the ex isting buildings in a raw unapologetic way – respecting and exposing the historic functionality as a part of the cultural and educational experience of the quarter.

By adapting the existing buildings we create an environment where the history starts a dialogue with the present, evoking a thought process for the visitor.

Creative economy

The tobacco factory has the opportunity to become a space for the “creative economy”, which embodies the symbio sis of creativity, science, culture, economy and technology in a high-quality urban environment. British urban planner’s Charles Landry’s creative city is an ecosystem in which cultural

and symbolic values are catalysts for urban development. Its inhabitants live in the diverse urban community that stimulates the continued gentrification of urban space.

Concept based on some adversatives as: Architecture New vs Historical Public space Temporary vs Permanent

CONCEPT / TabFab CREATIVE QUARTER

1700 m - 20 min LMS CreativeQ Main pedestrian flow Republic of Miera str.

TABFAB CreativeQ

New functions for creative events

CBI-business incubator Cinema museum Education Workshops

ALOJA CreativeQ

Concert space Beer brewery

TALLINA CreativeQ Workshops Event space Art discussions

MIERA STREET

Seasonal events, Street works as districts bacbone creates active connection for Creative Quarters

OPPORTUNITIES

By redeveloping the Tobacco factory with the proposed functionality, Miera street has the potential to become the spine of the creative industries in the neighborhood of Brasa and the Tobacco factory area would serve as the central cultural and educational hub of the area.

While the main factory building has lost its industrial aesthetic, there are multiple buildings that still have the potential of uncovering the past functionality of the area. By preserving and exposing the past qualities of these buildings it’s possible to create a new public space and recreate the architectural image of the quarter improving the environmental as well as the cultural qualities.

By developing the site, the Tobacco Factory has a great potential to become one of the centers of the creative districts of Miera Street, aimed for culture, art, education and creative industry development.

By promoting the aesthetic and functional quality of the territory, pre serving the industrial cultural heritage, creating a new public space and a new architectural image - it is an opportunity to create a new cultural environment for multiple sectors.

By uniting the whole complex into a single, functional public space it acts as a transformable multifunctional platform for performances, exhibitions, meeting spots, and celebration events.

Miera street section

Priority for public transport and bikes

Project study area border

Pedestrian flow

Proposed bike lines

Existing bus stop

Building Nr. 5 LAC student hotel

Building Nr. 1 Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC)

Building Nr. 4 Photo / Cinema Museum

Building Nr.3 CBI workshops

Building Nr.2

Creative Business Incubator (CBI)

Building Nr.1

Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC)

CULTURE

DORMS

EDUCATION CREATION

VOLUMES

INNER CONNECTION CYCLE

Latvian Culture Academy (LAC) student hotel

Photo / Cinema Museum

Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC)

MUSEUMDORMS IN

LACSCHOOLCINEMAOF ADMINLACLECTUREROOMSCBIWORKSHOP

Creative Buisnes Incubator (CBI) FUNCTIONAL SPACE / TabFab

FUNCTIONAL SCHEME

Open-Air cinema tribune

Filming pavilion

Existing building reconstruction / Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC)

Existing building reconstruction Creative Business Incubator (CBI)

Existing building inner connection with entrance hall

Performance tribune

Courtyard design with open performance space

Existing building reconstruction / Workshops

Connection with public square

Existing building reconstruction / Student hotel

Existing buiding reconstruction / Open gallery, retail space

The main entrance to the creative quarter

Pedestrian street

PHASE 1

Existing building conservation and new public space

Riga Photo / Cinema Museum administration, storage

New landmark

Riga Photo / Cinema Museum exhibition space

Shared car parking concept

Public space connection with adjacent land parcels

PHASE 2

Creating new landmark for TabFab creative quarter

VIEW FROM INNER COURTYARD / TabFab CREATIVE QUARTER

VIEW FROM INNER PEDESTRIAN STREET / TabFab CREATIVE QUARTER

SUSTAINABILITY

Tobacco Factory area already has undergone extensive reconstruction works in 2017 for some of the buildings to accommodate the temporary functional needs for JRT theater. The process needs to continue for next years to provide future continuity of project area so it cre ates self-sufficient area that develops Miera street neighborhood.

It is important to take in to account also environmental, social, economical development to provide sustainable project development. Architecture is the tool how we can propose these values, spaces and social links between people.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Creating public square as a 3rd space to strengthening the sense of community and interact with different professionals. Public courtyards become a central gathering place for commu nities – place where to meet, socialize, engage, place that reduce social segregation and enhance integration.

COLLABORATION

Miera street functioning as the spine for the creative quarters allows the possibility of in ter-collaboration between creative industries to create new conceptual events playing on each quarters strong suites. The new photo/cinema museum temporary exhibition hall and the public square serves as a multi-functional event space for various types of cultural events allowing it to become the central hub of creative industry.

ECONOMICAL

The proposal planned to be self-sufficient block. There are a lot of multifunctional use of indoor and outdoor spaces. As there are full cycle of professional experience - from LAC students, till business incubator, till workshop and to exhibition space. It is a per fect mix where everyone can support each other. Project planned to be built by phases.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Proposal implies an adaptive reuse of exiting main values of the site – existing build ing volumes and recently reconstructed inner courtyard space. New Building volumes provides necessary additional functional space and creates new image of the site.

Compact building functional scheme and inner connections between all of the build ings provides the possibility to use spaces at the full capacity and for further trans formable changes, if it is necessary.

Reducing car parking in the courtyard can give extra green area and more flexible space for public interactions. Car parking sharing concept with neighbors - residen tial people are sharing their parking spaces while they are at work and it is used by people who are working in the quarter. As Miera street has successful link with public transportation and potential bike lines, car parking places were reduced in the project, putting the public space as well as bicycle and public transport as the priority.

VIEW FROM INNER COURTYARD / TabFab CREATIVE QUARTER

PRESERVATION CONCEPT

Preservation strategy aims to save existing building re construction layers and do minimal changes. Such ap proach tends to save budget for already reconstructed building volumes. The main structures are not planned to be changed. Just inner functional outline where it is necessary. Facades are painted neutral light grey color.

Wooden building where LAC student hotel is located, need to be reconstructed in it is previous historical ap pearance.

New contemporary elements and materials, and bright color is one of the main image of the site. This approach allows building to absorb current and future transforma tions.

Technical space in between exiting building and new voulme

All technical communications are planned to be saved and used for nex project phases.

Existing openings that need to be closed are used for multiple purposes – frame an exposition, niche for seating, shelving unit, technical storage box, etc.

Interior walls that are cut for openings need to be reinforced with exposed metal / concrete structures or if there is no need for structural reinforcement, the exist ing structure is clean cut and exposed as an interior ob ject.

Warehouse, the building that connects Miera street, is the element that are planned to be uncovered from the past. This aims to highlight entrance in the quarter and it’s architectural value.

Interior partition walls that are demolished usually leave a damage mark on the flooring and ceilings. Our pres ervation concept involves leaving this damaged part in the flooring and filling it with colored concrete as a mark of history for the visitor to observe.

PRESERVATION CONCEPT / TabFab CREATIVE QUARTER

Latvian Culture academy

Existing stucco facade painted in Demolished volume exposed into the interior design

Creative Business Incubator Historic brick facade painted light gray

Gabrielle Sierra exposition “Numbers in a room”

Photo: Kyle Knodell

Proposed material blend in demolished wall areas

VIEW FROM MAIN ENTRANCE TO COURTYARD TOP VIEW

Fondazione Prada I OMA

Fondazione Prada I OMA

Strelka institute I OMA & AMO

Strelka institute I OMA & AMO

Arthouse at the Jones Center I LTL Architects

Zi Bo The Great Wall Museum of Fine Art I ARCHSTUDIO

VIEW OF THE MUSEUM STRUCTURE