SA.EN

2020 July (7)

CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECTURE

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SA.lt (Construction and Architecture) Publisher VŠĮ SA.lt projektai Editorial address Fabijoniškių g. 99 Vilnius LT-07101 Ph. +370 5 267 9484 E-mail redakcija@sa.lt www.sa.lt

Acting editor Kristina Buidovaitė Contributing authors Elena Paleckytė, Aušra Narkeliūnienė, Karina Sėrikova, Indrė Vozgirdaitė www.sa.lt editor Jokūbas Baltrukonis Copy editor Brigita Kulikovskienė Designer Agnė Daniliavičiūtė Advertising department Liuda Michalkevičienė Ph. +370 5 267 9484

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On our cover – Arrow architects_Green Hall 2__®Norbert Tukaj

editor’s word We are presenting the publications selected so that you can see what direction construction and architecture in Lithuania is going in, and what added value it is creating. How much our scientists have accomplished, and how much progress you have made on the road to BIM. What lessons are learned in designing and building grandiose buildings that become city symbols.

We work closely with more than 30 active associations in Lithuania and all municipalities of the state, we also work closely with our Economy, Energy, Transport and communications, Environment, Culture and other Ministries and their dependent companies, as well as with the Vilniaus Gedimino Technical University and Kaunas Technological University.

We are constantly working on publications on the changes of the Lithuanian legislative framework, currently implemented or planned constructions sector projects, as well as European Union funds supported projects. We present the newest construction industry technologies and products, publish information relevant to architects and designers as well as their exceptional pieces of work, we provide information on real estate industry area forecasts and estimates.

SA.EN CONTENT 66

success story

First LEED Gold laurels awarded to the Continental plant in Lithuania

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architecture

Recorded Histories of Buildings

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architecture

Trademark of the International Hotel Network in Vilnius

interior a space localising the flow of time forum is the entry of bim into the public sector welcome? research lightweight structural concrete: prospects of its application in transport structures today architecture competition of the seac: success is due to the input

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Narrative of the Smart City

architecture future architecture: tomorrow starts today narrative of the smart city technologies vilnius combined heat and power plant: an architectural and technological challenge construction builder id cards: are we moving from promises to actions?

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architecture trademark of the international hotel network in vilnius

construction

architecture recorded histories of buildings

The Hour of Popularity for Alternative Construction Materials Has Not Yet Arrived

construction the hour of popularity for alternative construction materials has not yet arrived architecture public procurement in architecture: benefit or problem?

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Digital construction

success story first leed gold laurels awarded to the continental plant in lithuania solution ambitious changes in the territory of unity square experiences and knowledge for real property developers the lithuanian construction association: for changes in the construction sector digital construction

technologies

“JUNG Vilnius” serves 16 countries - from surrounding countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, Russia to Central Asia.

Entirely, a couple of tons of switches is shipped to these countries per day. A separate branch of JUNG production, without which no modern building can survive, i.e. building automation compliant with the KNX standards, is very common in Europe.

It is estimated that about EUR 1 million has been invested only in the equipment to service Lithuanian and international orders and to manage the quality of goods flows in the new “JUNG Vilnius” building.

Administrative premises and warehouses occupy about 3000 square meters.

The great part of the work in a company with 28 employees is automated. For example, the warehouse is equipped with the automated storage system requiring relatively low levels of supervision by a person that allows completing the largest to smallest order in the shortest possible time and without the errors that are inevitable in case of the human factor.

“This warehousing innovation will make warehouse operations even more efficient, help optimize resources, and even improve occupational safety - without the need for employees to collect orders themselves, as the automated system will perform this accurately with their supervision. We consider this investment to be a great advantage, and in the long term, we do not exclude the possibility that more robotic solutions will emerge in the warehouse,” added Raimundas Skurdenis, the director of the “JUNG Vilnius”.

Not only the warehouse in the new building located near Vilnius is automated but also the building automation controls the lighting and climate of all premises, access control is applied when the staff is allowed to enter the office by finger scan or face recognition. And the outdoor station of the benchmark German manufacturer of doorphones “Siedle” is installed at the entrance to the office: namely, the “JUNG Vilnius” was granted an exclusive right to distribute the products of this manufacturer in Lithuania.

Who else could claim the title of the smartest building other than a company representing the building automation? This year, the “JUNG Vilnius” office and logistics centre, which has risen near Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, will become one of the smartest buildings not only in the country but also in the surrounding countries.

The “JUNG Vilnius” is one of the leading subsidiaries of the German company JUNG. In terms of turnover, the “JUNG Vilnius” is the second of 18 subsidiaries worldwide established from Europe, the United States to the Middle East and Asia.

The smart home system will become even more accessible The fact is that the company installs the demonstration smart apartment and a hotel room under one roof, which can be accessed by practically anyone.

“One of the biggest problems in this sector - to get into private houses and see how a smart home works are extremely difficult both in Lithuania and the surrounding countries. And that is understandable because the person or family living in their private home wants privacy, cares about security,” said Mr. Skurdenis. - Meanwhile, in our new office, we will provide both a business representative and a specialist or just a user showing interest in a smart home with the possibility of having a close look at the functionality of building automation. We believe that solving this affordability problem and providing access to a smart home at close range will further facilitate the growth of this sector.

Building automation, not only in public buildings or modern offices but also in the private sector, in our daily lives, is the future that will become a reality in the next few decades. We hope that our new office will accelerate this development, will contribute to people’s quality of life, and Lithuania will become a leader in the building automation sector as well.”

The groups of interested people and individuals will be welcomed in the new “JUNG Vilnius” office. Also, the largest exposition of German JUNG switches in Lithuania and the surrounding countries will also be installed: The visitors will be able to familiarize themselves with reliable, ‘Made-in-Germany’ certified products manufactured since 1912 in person. This is especially true for interior designers and architects. Therefore, it is planned that this office, which still smells of paint, will become a centre of attraction and a solid business card of the “JUNG Vilnius” this year.

interior

A Space Localising the Flow of Time

Elena PALECKYTÄ–

An architect of the younger generation, Ona LozuraitytÄ—, told us about the path of the architect abroad and in Lithuania, and how to prove that the freedom to create and try new things is not only a sign of the exporters of ideas. One of these examples is the interior of the optics salon Friends & Frame that combines old and new, modern and more modern elements.

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Could you tell us more about your studio Isora x Lozuraityte Studio For Architecture?

We started to work with the architect Petras IĹĄora several years ago, when we established our studio. We both were from slightly different backgrounds but, when speaking together, we have realised that we are attracted by a lot of similar topics. We actively joined forces and we also cooperate with our colleagues; some of our most significant works are the Baltic pavilion and the projects with KILD and, in fact, I believe that this type of cooperation is a defining feature of our generation.

Our first focus was strongly associated with the cultural sphere, as we designed exhibitions, sometimes supervised them by ourselves, although sometimes we were only responsible for the architectural concept. Thus, the relationship between art and culture has always been the first starting point for us.

The cultural, social and probably the much broader environmental and ecological context has also always been important to us.

We try to specify the relevant circumstances in each place.

When we come to the particular place, we look to see where we are and what the previous generations have left to us. Not because we wish to directly continue it, since the genius loci is often trite and very literally and aridly interpreted. We instead believe that we should work with extensions, i.e. by accepting the valuable layers which are already well-established, with much input, but also showing the future direction and not to locking in the former layers in a static manner.

How did your horizons expand abroad?

First, I finished my degree in Artat the Vilnius Academy of Arts; later on, I studied Architecture there. After I finished my studies, I immediately decided not to pursue an academic career, but to move to the brightest and most interesting cultural area. Thus, I went to New York, and worked in the gallery Storefront for Art and Architecture, which focusses on the processes and challenges between architecture and art. This place was established in 1982 as an experimental forum and exhibition space, i.e. a platform for new discourses about the constructed space, for experiment and innovation at the intersection of art, design and architecture.

The current space of the gallery is very small,

and the spatial concept for it was created by an artist and an architect, namely, the architect Steven Holl and the performance artist Vito Acconci. I also worked for Jonas Mekas; this was again a very significant experience for my future path. Right now, we are creating the architecture for an exhibition of Jonas Mekas, which will take place in the Rupert incubator this summer. Everything you encode in life develops further.

Later on, I worked in Brussels, in the Rotor cooperative. This collective is of a multidisciplinary nature and is engaged in many activities, which at first seem hard

to sum up, with critical or questionable access points through architecture, interiors, exhibitions, books, economic models and the development of political strategies.

Generally, it described its direction as the coordination of material flows. Simply put it, it tries to control the use of materials, and create a new understanding about the migration of materials (resources) through research, design and strategies. Thus, it offers a particularly environmentally-friendly attitude towards tomorrow. This year, they started to lecture at the AA (Architectural Association School of Architecture); thus,

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the ideas developed by them are very necessary and relevant.

Petras came after a rather long time working in the architectural context. He worked for Audrys Karalius for a long time in Kaunas and in the studio of Rolandas Palekas in Vilnius. Later on, he worked at Architects of Invention in London, in the so-called OMA branch until finally we both returned, gained our focus and started to create something of our own.

What are the global architectural realities and what will be important tomorrow?

The realities are always of a dual nature, i.e. global and local. As for the global realities of major scale, they would be ecology, anthropocentric beliefs and the consequences of human activities, how we transform our limited resources into the constucted spaces, how we convert them, and at what cost this is done. This will be most strongly felt tomorrow, since we continue to love the ways in which we are living.

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These are the main things which will soon affect all of us, both our generation and future generations. We will have to start thinking absolutely differently, i.e. not in volumes, and not in dominants. Maybe the future trend will be to refuse the ego of the creator? Maybe the creator will increasingly become a type of manager who deals very quickly with the changing contexts which are increasingly changing the sands of architecture.

Unfortunately, the majority of architecture schools are still teaching using the same methods as they taught the generation of our parents, although we will have to deal with entirely different objectives. It's not so much about the shape but about the impact, harmonious existence and sustainability.

Architects are still very strongly programmed to use resources in an unreasonable manner. In Lithuania, the thinking is very distanced from all other non-architectural contexts. Architects almost never consider the landscape or contextual problems, but rather come in blindly. The projects very rarely look at the possibilities and potential

of the situation; generally, they come with the ambition to wipe out everything, and create monuments for themselves without taking everything into account, or offering the optimum solutions in the given situation.

It is also very regrettable that architects are so distanced; for example, unfortunately, they work alone a lot and do not participate in the wider creative contexts that could be very informative to them. They are still not very interested in the contemporary art or literature worlds.

You have mentioned that the architecture practices of your generation have significantly changed as compared with the practices of previous generations.

What other differences are evident?

Our practices are more and more often created on entirely different grounds, so they differ from the ones of our lecturers; they differ significantly in terms of their tools and organisational methods. The concepts of architecture are changing very quickly, and the context is changing as well, so

interior

new challenges will be faced in the future.

I have noticed that more and more young practicioners, in particular, are working abroad on the basis of cooperation. We do not necessarily attach ourselves to some particular model. Each circumstance generates its own constellations of people and areas of knowledge.

Do you already feel that Lithuania is gradually integrating into the international network?

In my opinion, this opening up has started with our generation: around the period when we were finishing our studies the Architecture Fund was established. This is an institution which has opened borders and allowed those who are interested to merge in a global context. This was a great revolution and a historical event. I have mentioned the Architecture Fund because, in the years of my travels when we did not have our own studio, people abroad used to say that the Lithuanian people had a very well established network, i.e. they know each other and can quickly exchange information. At that time, the majority of those people that actively belonged to the Architecture Fund were living abroad, so the establishment of this network helped us feel more complete. You can quickly access the various knowledge of different colleagues; thus, you can quickly integrate into various realities. Today, a lot of them have already returned, and others are planning to do so.

Thus, I can say that even if at the beginning of our studies there was some exclusion, today it has become increasingly narrower from the perspective of the local studies of young architects.

You often create the architecture for exhibitions. What is it specifically?

The art and architecture in exhibitions must meet in a dynamic dialectic. One of the views (it is not absolutely clear how it emerged) is that the art creates problems and the architecture deals with such problems. Thus, often the relationship with the artist is like a puzzle, and cooperation is needed to solve it. On the other hand, the architect Audrius Ambrasas once said that architecture presents such a complex set of problems that only art can solve them.

Thus, the relationship between art and

architecture has some touches of yin and yang. Architects understand art as a certain type of relaxation, to access to the creative flow; and artists see architects as those who answer the questions like process managers.

From our point of view, the architecture of exhibitions provides grounds for newly developed experimental ideas: in itself it is not an aesthetic object as such, with defined canons. We work with sets of ideas, we come with different backgrounds, and each idea must be integrated in architectural terms. Besides this, exhibitions are like a field of experiments for us where we can more quickly verify certain ideas, materials, complex relationships and discourses. This is especially useful for us, so we are glad to be able to work with wonderful artists, as this makes our tools (as architects) richer.

The aspect of cooperation is also of particular importance.

Working with exhibitions teaches us different modes of creating and, later on, this is reflected in the creation of different forms.

Do you see any parallels between the interior of the exhibition and the interior of the optics salon Friends & Frame? How this is related namely to the product, i.e. glasses?

and existing development plans, we found an inner yard in the place of a current optical salon, and one of the first public wells of the city in the possession of a neighbour. There were fragments of a garden and the water of an atrium, as a public space, that became an inspiration for those of us who interpret spatial solutions. By restoring the public space we sought to psychologically restore the vertical space, creating an illusion of an open area, so that individuals would not be depressed by the concrete floor. A mirrored windowsill catches the sun rays and transmits them to the ceiling covered with foil, especially in the summer. This creates an illusion of sunlight from above, as if skylights were installed in the ceiling.

On the other hand, optical games also helped in the psychological compensation of spacial irregularities, so less additional spacial narrative was possible. Besides this, there are several moving triangular mirrors which create optical corridors. Thus, optics, optical illusions and vision are interrelated in this space.

As for the terms 'exhibition' and 'interior', I would say that today they are very vague and I like to say that they (the terms) are becoming less important. Because as soon as you define something after much

Indeed, several days prior to opening the store, a customer who was inspired by all our ideas put a chair in front of one of the shelves of eyeglass frames, sat down and joked: "Look, everything here looks like its in a gallery!" But taken more seriously, the parallel between the exhibition and the space is rather relevant.

Friends & Frame came with a commercial proposal, but they were looking for something extraordinary. Maybe it was easier to have a breakthrough in the commercial aspect because it was related to optics and the field of vision. Several optic games, i.e. visual corridors, reflections, seeing through and transparency, were presented in this space. In this case, transparency is not only a visual but also a conceptual term, i.e. seeking to see through the local history, the interpretation of this place prior to the Second World War was created and the Soviet layer was uncovered.

Historically, the urban image has become a historical formwork for the design logic of the space. After we rearranged the historical

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interior

searching, you see how it is caught and used for the manipulation of different values. The terms are increasingly manipulated. This results, for example, in the perfect verbal introduction of projects but, when you look at the object itself, you do not see anything like what you have been told. Thus, these terms also provide space for speculation.

What were the main spatial solutions?

We tried to make spatial frames to clear the space from particular fixed solutions as much as possible, as we wanted the space to be open to the widest possible range of scenarios. We could have started from the technical details such as, for example, the fact that we convinced the customer to choose the solution of heated floor; thus, we avoided visually fixed heating aggregates.

The main solution was to create a central square levitating a plate (above the mirrors) after cleaning out the space. During events, or without any particular occasion, furniture may be placed under it, to be connected to the 'motherboard', then the whole space will again be cleaned out from the scenarios of the day.

Another very important spatial solution was that we fully refused to have a till and, after long discussions, we persuaded everyone that the usual customer-seller relationship should be avoided in this space as much as possible. Besides this, the customer himself suggested that the people who came in should not be afraid to simply to look around.

A lot of potential spatial scenarios with combinations of the existing objects, i.e. furniture, chairs, sofas and mirrors, have been planned. Thus, when cooperating with the people working here today, we occasionally remind them of the ideas for changes in the space and encourage them to be architects of the space, i.e. to create the scenarios specified in the course of our cooperation, and probably scenarios which have not been indicated by constantly rewriting the space. A lot of visual games and new spatial aspects may be created, so both passersby and visitors may feel differently every time they enter, even by virtue of using only the mobile triangular mirrors which are here and not moving the furniture.

Another important element is a functional insert. It is a two-part object consisting of

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an optometrist's consulting room and the patient archive, with a more private space for the employees which, as a rule, are entirely enclosed in the salon. Here, the premises are separated only by a slight symbolic partition, i.e. a curtain. We sought that the visitor would not feel an exclusion between the public and private space and could see through everything, as nothing was hidden from them. This continues the ideas of transparency and the dynamics I have mentioned before.

context, and we familiarised him with the general architectural concepts from a rather early stage through visualisations. Thus, we removed the functional (classic display window and lighting) layer to some extent and replaced it with the poetic layer of an illuminated work.

The object in the middle of the space of the optical salon is described in the magazine Frame as the interpretation of a well. What is it really?

With what artists did you cooperate in the First, we wanted an object, i.e. spacetime, which would have no predetermined creation of the space? concepts, which would be clearly identified The aforementioned curtains were and semantically bound, but would raise created by the splendid designer Morta questions for the person who comes in, Griškevičiūtė. Their material is reflective and encouraging them to analyse it. Maybe it's is very subtle; thus, the work itself is both for this reason the space is similar to an cosmic and moderate. Another object is exhibition: a good exhibition is one which a table by the artist Donatas Jankauskas- takes place in the head and not only at the Duonis. The table was created of real stone level of visual delight. We tries to create chips, and it sort of plays and interacts such an object that seemed as though it with a synthetic rock object created by us. were from the future, and as if it was not the It looks most beautiful when it is sunny, as right time to define it. This is an object which the transparency of the interior appears in combines the past with the future. The past it again. Thus, small narratives begin here. is an interpretation of the characteristics of The light objects specific to the place were the place: the public well was not in this created by Rafałas Piesliakas. We gave him particular place, but was near it for a long full freedom by introducing just the general time. Also, due to the former atrium which

interior

The object in the middle of the optical store is named as a well interpretation.

was here, it has become a complex of reflected ideas. A fragment of water returns the sense of the past, not directly but by restoring the physical well.

How was the object made?

This was a sculpture created with my own hands. We scanned the layout with a 3D scanner and, after digitally enlarging it, we processed it together with our colleague Dominykas Daunis. The aim was creating something that is an intermediate situation between the physically tangible water and a virtually felt figure, or between two absolutely different and vague origins. A complex of different strategies, i.e. repetition, echo, twisting, dragging, etc., were adopted by digitally processing the sculpture; in short, the creation of a pulse of virtual (real) nature

was being sought. Each place has its own sense of logic so that it will not look boring, since an object that attracts attention and is bright can be irritating to some extent; thus, it must be incomprehensible to some extent, and inscrutable so that it is not fully legible, so that the circumstances of its appearance do not become clear but it constantly attracts the curiosity of the eye.

If it was implemented only digitally, it would have been too easy to understand it. The same applies to an implementation by hand.

Thus, a compromise which would not allow the object to become boring was necessary.

This object represents the relationship between the past (handicraft) and the future (digital manipulation) in its technological terms. It is partially borrowed from nature, and partially from the postinternet language, but it is not one or the other.

Why is flora important to this space?

An independent ecosystem has been created for the pillar of plants in the object. It was sort of intended to reinstate the feeling of the place as an open yard. The plants were arranged according to a geographical position; for example, there are almost no plants on the northern slope. Then, going around, harsh vegetation appears until finally it gradually gives way to a sort of tropical forest in the south. This is also a game of logic. The flora is a particularly important element because it constantly and naturally changes, thus supplementing the general narrative of a vague scenario.

For example, earlier there was grass with small blue berries; and after they dries up, the oaks spouted four leaves and fems

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interior

The language of time is revealed in the majority of elements which do not attract attention unless a closer look is taken at them.

with aerial roots started to follow the lines of the object. Tea trees, black pepper and narrow-leaved figs are constantly testing their possibilities for flourishing in naturally unusual environment. As this colony of flora develops and changes, it reminds us of the time flow of today, while horizontally supplementing the aforementioned vertical ratio between the future times and the present time.

As for this space, the importance of time is constantly emphasised. What other elements reveal it?

The language of time is revealed in the majority of elements which do not attract attention unless a closer look is taken at them. For example, earlier the facade was deeper and it was only after the year 2000 that the glass was moved outside. Thus, a type of brittle facade which has not been manufactured for a long time and the subtleties of the materials in the construction of the facade windows are exhibited in the interior and display windows. A mixture of sand with poorly slaked lime, which has not been available for a long time and which was consolidated by the renovators, was uncovered near it. Together with the renovators, we found a hole in the wall which today purposefully attracts one's attention.

There's also the old electrical cabinet which we preserved; the electrician told us a long story about how the system operated.

Reading this material may become very long. Such elements help the polynomial whole to form and creates new mutual narratives, which are substantially about the overlapping of time and at the same time are about vision.

How are other elements of the interior related to the overall whole?

It was important for us that everything was related, down to the smallest scale. As the interior implementation works were coming an end, we dealt with some details on the smallest scale of the interior. For example, different small elements of a blue metal colour are sort of split off from the main object, and they perform a practical function: the take up space on the shelves at times when there are no glasses. Other small but important elements of the interior,

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which also reveal the overall aesthetic of transparency that can be mentioned on a random basis are the fully transparent specially-created elements which cover the ends of the profiles on which the eyeglass shelves are kept; so the ends are covered but the eyes can see through. All of these elements are only smaller continuations of the overall concept created for the place.

How do the materials and furniture used in this space change the concept of luxury?

In this interior, this matter is of major importance; it is a part of a reconsideration of the term.

The surfaces of the premises were touched only in the places where a new touch was necessary for the functionality to be created.

The magic nature of the whole interior is being closer to the original, so that less matter is processed. The concept leads to the aesthetics and vice versa.

We chose only furniture of a circular economy, and unprocessed materials which are as pure as possible for the space. For example, all the adjustable furniture is made of centris (cement-bonded particle boards used for facades). In order to fit in with the concrete floor, we needed something rough but at the same time warm. Our furniture manufacturers faced a real challenge, as they had to make this indelicate material speak in the manufacturing of the furniture. The main bodies of furniture are manufactured of primed MDF boards, i.e. the basic main usual preparation of the board. All of the not specially manufactured furniture, such as the chairs or sofas, are a part of the circular economy. They were manufactured by famous designers but they are used. For example, this Linge Roset chair which, by the way, was created by the architect is not manufactured any longer.

Its shape was reminiscent of the 1980s and was quite clumsy; however, in our situation it is more valuable than a new version of the model by the same company which can be immediately 'read'. It even has a handle in place, which was not functionally necessary for us. The bodies of the sofas were manufactured by the Austrian manufacturer Wittmann.

For example, an element of actual scaffolding is used as a handle of the entrance door,

Name of the object: optics salon Friends & Frames Address: Vokiečių g. 15, Vilnius, Lithuania Total area: 151 m2 Designer: architecture studio Isora x Lozuraityte Restoration of the walls: Lina Šlipavičiūtė, Aušra Vyšniauskaitė and Lauryna Kiškytė Digital manipulations: Dominykas Daunys Luminous works in the show windows: Rafał Piesliak Floating granite object: Donatas Jankauskas (Duonis) Design of the curtains: Morta Griškevičiūtė Photos: Ugnius Gelguda and Darius Petrulaitis

Friends & Frame came up with a commercial offer, but was looking for something unusual.

which was polished to be 'luxurious'. An element of the infrastructure planned as the final result has become almost like a piece of jewellery.

All this is a purposeful reconsideration of luxury but it is 'broken', considered, and formed according to the realities of our period, i.e. in the context of the culture of consumption and material processes of the planet. The valuable features of the situation are identified along with the needs of the new, leaving a central place of ambiguity for the meanings in this overlay. Luxury is an insightful (re)consideration and, of course, a creation which, unlike poetry, combines a lot of different spheres into one piece of work in a way that cannot be fully rationally figured out. By our work, we wanted to create a shift in the local concept of the 'property' which, as usual, perceives luxury as a set

of financially expensive elements. Here, of course, we should not forget to mention the ambitious attitude of our customer.

What is the relationship between the space and the interiors of Lithuania?

We did not wanted to lock in the space in terms of an interior; thus, we refer to as the space. Some aspects of interiors according to one canon have penetrated into Lithuania.

The majority of the interiors are kind of like Pinterest sets. Although they are aesthetic, they only imitate the surfaces, they do not create new concepts and, I believe, this is very faulty. For this reason, when creating the space we felt some concern about whether the local people would accept it, because this is an entirely different and non-typical language as a whole and in the individual

elements and methods used in its creation. It is interesting that, immediately after opening the salon, there were some comments that the owner is not of Lithuanian nationality and that the architects are foreigners. What is suggested by such comments? Maybe we slightly messed up the inert state of the local interiors. We hope that this will encourage young creators and even the larger consciousness to feel more free, and to boldly experiment in new expressions, and not just accept facade aesthetics.

Thank you very much for the conversation!

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forum

Is the Entry of BIM into the Public Sector Welcome?

Karina SÄ–RIKOVA

As of 1 July 2020, BIM techniques must be applied in designing and constructing all complex public sector structures of a high value or the parts thereof. Are designers and the construction sector ready for these changes?

Marius Žygaitis, a freelance BIM coordinator, architect and instructor of architectural software BIM is a very broad term. We can speak about the added value, processes and the software used in it, the investments necessary for generating benefits by applying BIM, and about the differences between BIM and the traditional work techniques. The BIM ( better information management) method should have a positive impact on the quality of the project and the architecture. BIM should generate a higher added value in a shorter time-frame at a lower cost. It sounds like a panacea. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with these statements and I have seen successful examples. In my opinion, the secret of the success is practical experience and lots of enthusiasm on all sides.

It is not easy, to say the least, to gain experience. This is an entirely different method and a different way of working for each professional, company, municipality or country. The acquisition of practice through training requires the investment of time.

When learning, it is often the case that some solutions in the project become slightly simplified for a wide variety of reasons.

Nevertheless, this is temporary and normal.

If you go to the heart of the matter and gain experience, it is possible to achieve something that cannot be achieved by the current working methods.

As for BIM, attention should be paid to the parties which are most interested in the

quality, clarity and often the economy of the project. Generally, such a person or a group of persons is the customer. Public sector buildings are financed by ourselves; thus, it is normal to seek for profesionalism, speed and economy.

BIM could ensure this. Nevertheless, it should be noted that all such added value comes at a certain price, i.e. learning is required. In the short term, this can have certain side effect: the simplification of some solutions in the project, a longer process than planned or disputes.

In my opinion, the binding implementation of BIM should be treated as a trial or training period for a certain period of time. I believe that all sides understand that the practices,

experiences and good local examples that were developed over decades are not going to come in a flash. Particularly since BIM is a rather new thing, for example, there are professionals whose experience overwhelms the very concept of BIM. This is where the need for the second aspect, i.e. enthusiasm, becomes clear. For this reason, some industries have experienced a qualitative leap; therefore, I believe that the construction sector is not an exception.

In my opinion, for the binding implementation to be smooth, a discussion on an amendment of the legal framework on all sides, clear criteria and their integration into the legal framework, the creation of templates, learning and the sharing of best practices are needed. I believe that, just as today it is entirely unacceptable when an online shop incorrectly calculates the total amount of a payment, some day it will be hard to understand how some relevent, clear and high quality information cannot available in the construction sector within a few moments.

Dalius Gedvilas, Head of the public institution Skaitmeninė statyba and President of the Lithuanian Construction Association The public institution Skaitmeninė statyba has organised the Digital Construction conference since 2014 and the Award for the Best BIM Projects in Lithuania has taken place during the conference since 2016. I am delighted that every year, the companies are presenting more projects and more mature projects are being implemented in Lithuania.

There is no company among the leaders in the construction sector of Lithuania which would not apply this methodology in their work. The Lithuanian construction companies exporting their services abroad have already applied BIM for a number of years. Already, the third generation of Master's degree students with knowledge of how to apply BIM have graduated from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU).

More than 500 registered users have used the BIM documents prepared by the public institution Skaitmeninė statyba and the teams of the VGTU, while the Kaunas University of Technology and specialists from the public institution Skaitmeninė statyba have contributed to the preparation of such documents. Those who lack knowledge are actively learning. The public institution Skaitmeninė statyba is an associated member of the Building Smart alliance, which creates and develops the BIM methodology on a worldwide scale.

The Nordic Office of the alliance, to which

Lithuania belongs, has launched a new BIM specialist certification programme.

More than 230 persons from 40 companies were trained according to the qualification improvement training programme on the construction digitisation process Building Information Modelling (BIM) by 2018.

If we want to seek progress, we should not be aligned with those who are behind us, we must look forward. The private sector goes hand-in-hand with the innovative world, but the public sector is significantly lagging behind. Every day we delay digitisation cannot be justified, since it results in backwardness of the state and an economic slowdown. If we do not apply the Construction 4.0 principles, we condemn our state to the ice age.

A large community of people working in the construction sector are already applying BIM, and the year 2020 is really not too early but is rather too late.

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Contrary to some, the architects do not deny the advantages of the tool and do not seek to stop the progress of information technologies.

Daiva VeliÄ?kaitÄ—, former Chairwoman of the Architects Chamber of Lithuania Just now, it is difficult to answer the question of whether the designers and the construction sector are ready for the changes. According to the Architects Chamber of Lithuania, first, an analysis of the existing level of preparedness should be carried out, preparatory actions should be planned and carried out, their results should be evaluated and only then should the possible imposition of the bindingness and the exact dates be considered. Today, we are putting the cart before the horse, i.e. the date of the binding has been set without the analysis and work. But things should be quite different. In our opinion, technical and legal preparedness, as well as education for all stakeholders are necessary. As a comparison, nobody would question the fact that new vehicles consume less fuel and their operation costs are also lower; however, if we were forced to purchase and use only new vehicles from some particular date, such measure would be considered as untimely and entirely disproportionate. We believe that in the future, information technologies will be increasingly used; nevertheless, the process should take place consistently, taking into account the naturally arising need and not by imposing bindingness without just cause.

According to the Chamber, the construction sector of Lithuania will face a lot of different challenges. The first challenge will be ensuring the quality of the environment and of the architecture. Today, the legal mechanisms which would ensure the existing public interests in Lithuania are not sufficient and, after the imposition of the restriction in

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relation to the binding use of certain technical measures, we risk moving further away from the quality of the environment we are seeking.

It should be noted that when developing and constructing structures, not only economic and technical challenges are addressed (should be addressed) but also such issues as the ratio of structures and the environment, protection of the landscape, nature and cultural values, tailoring the structures to the needs of their use, and the implementation of universal design principles and other principles relevant to the society. Addressing of such issues requires a great deal of sensitivity, creativity and an individual approach; meanwhile, BIM mainly promotes a technical approach and the use of repeated elements.

The second challenge is that everyone, i.e. both contractors and the contracting authorities and their employees, should be ready. We have to realise that the benefits provided by BIM technology unfold not only at the stage of the design but, probably even more, at the stage of the construction work and the operation of the structure. The digitisation of the construction permit issue processes alone (which is quite simple) has shown that the majority of the contracting authorities and other institutions are not ready for the information technology innovations and infrastructure, and the respective qualification levels are insufficient.

We believe that first conducting an analysis of the level of preparedness for the use of BIM would also show how much work must be carried out, and what the total costs should be.

The third challenge is the provision of players in the design market with such expensive solutions. This will definitely increase not only the design costs but also the final costs

of the builders. It is also important that only a small portion of architects are working in financially capable companies in Lithuania and across the European Union. According to the data available to the Architects Council of Europe, in 2016 as many as 72 percent of the architects in Europe worked individually or in small companies; nevertheless, they were able to ensure high level of architecture, i.e. they offered solutions to all the aforementioned challenges using other technological and information measures. The figures suggest that the binding use of BIM will minimise competition, and this will have an even greater effect on the builder's costs and an increased exclusion of the majority of specialists.

The fourth challenge is the preparation of the whole necessary technical and legal infrastructure, which is at particularly early stage.

Contrary to some, the architects do not deny the advantages of the tool and do not seek to stop the progress of information technologies.

All the stakeholders agree that the advantages of BIM, i.e. operational efficiency, processing of information, proper classification of the information, uploading of information in one structural model and advanced methods of cooperation, are of particular importance to the whole construction sector. Nevertheless, we want to reiterate that the consistent placement of BIM in practice based on the natural needs and their satisfaction is beneficial not only to architects but also to the investors and the society as a whole, with a view to avoiding problems in the process and low quality, unsustainable environmental solutions in the future.

research

Darius BAÄŒINSKAS, Deividas RUMĹ YS Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

In nearly 150 years, concrete has become the most widely applied structural material. Its exclusiveness is determined by its wide applicability and complex mechanical behaviour. In today's world, concrete has become the second (after water) most popular material used by mankind; on average, 3 tonnes of concrete is used per resident throughout the globe. As compared with other materials (steel, wood, plastic and aluminium), the concrete production volumes are two times higher than the other traditional construction materials taken together. It is forecasted that production of concrete may be around 28 billion tonnes per year by 2050 and will exceed the level reached in 1990 4 times.

ADVANTAGES OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE This composite material not only has advantages; it has a lot of disadvantages.

One of the main disadvantages is its large volume, which often restricts its application for structures of large dimensions: bridges, high-rise buildings, etc. This trend has encouraged researchers throughout the world to search for innovative concrete mixtures. One of the ways of solving the problem is making the concrete lighter.

The application of modern technological solutions enables us to create such compositions, the properties of which are the same and sometimes even superior when compared to the usual concrete, and

whose volume is up to 40 percent lower.

The use of structural lightweight concrete for construction work has a lot of advantages. First of all, it has more a effective ratio of strength and tare weight; thus, the quantity of the necessary concrete and reinforcements decreases, while the construction of foundations enables the construction of higher buildings and decreased costs. In this regard, lightweight concrete is of particular importance in reinforcing or reconstructing the operating structures; for example, in bridges, where the additional weight of supports or

foundations is not possible. Lightweight concrete is characterised by better heat and sound insulation properties. The research carried out throughout the world suggests that if lightweight concrete was used instead of the usual concrete for buildings in Europe, the thermal power costs could be decreased by around 15 percent. In addition to the aforementioned advantages, compared with the usual concrete, lightweight concrete is characterised by better durability features (higher resistance to cold, etc.), as well as higher resistance to fire and seismic loads.

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research

Figure 1 Historical buildings constructed using lightweight concrete mixtures: a) Colosseum in Rome; b) Pantheon in Rome.

FIRST USED SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS AGO The application of self-compacting concrete mixtures provides additional possibilities.

The combination of a smaller volume and self-compaction allows for an improved performance and technological characteristics of the concrete and the elements produced from it. The application of self-compacting mixtures, which do not require additional compaction in the course of the production, results in a decrease of the price of the structures by an average of about 10 percent, while the duration of the construction decreases by up to 20 percent.

Lightweight concrete is not a new material.

Natural volcanic lightweight concrete aggregates, such as pumice stone and slag, were known and used by the Greeks and Romans even before the era of Christianity.

Spectacular ancient structures, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome or Sophia's Cathedral in Istanbul, were built using lightweight concrete elements for the arch and canopy structures.

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Later on, until the 20th century, lightweight concrete was no longer widely used. In the first half of the 20th century, its use in the construction industry started again.

During this period, an artificial lightweight aggregate, i.e. expanded clay, was created.

The lightweight aggregates obtained in this way would be adapted for the construction of ship blocks during the First World War. Such a well-known ship was built in the USA – its name was U.S.S. Selma and it started to operate in 1919. The recent trends became particularly prevalent in the USA during the Second World War, when more than 100 military ships weighing between 3,000– 140,000 tonnes were built using lightweight concrete. The successful operation of such ships gave a significant impetus to the wider use of structural lightweight concrete for the construction of buildings and bridges The first large project in which structural lightweight concrete was used started in

1928–1929, when the telephone company Southwestern Bell established in Kansas City wanted to increase the height of its building by eight additional storeys using concrete of the usual weight. The engineers noted that if lightweight concrete mixtures with a blown shale aggregate were chosen, the building could be safely raised by an additional fourteen storeys. Such a solution allowed the height of the building to be increased by two times, i.e. a 14-storey building became a 28-storey skyscraper.

The total tare weight of the building decreased by 4,000 tonnes, as compared with the weight the building would have been if the usual concrete was used.

research

THE FIRST BRIDGE IN AMERICA Lightweight concrete was used in the construction of bridges for the first time in 1936, when building the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco (Figure 2). A lightweight concrete mixture was used for the top of the stiffening girder. This allowed the permanent load to be reduced by 1.2 kPa, which meant 15,800 tonnes for the whole structure. The total price of the structure decreased by USD 3 million.

The use of structural lightweight concrete mixtures in bridge construction significantly increased throughout the majority of the country in the 1950s. Reinforced lightweight concrete floors were used for the BeniciaMartinez Bridge in San Francisco (USA), the bridge over the Napa River in California (USA), Dyckerhoff footbridge (Germany), Hermannsweg Bridge (Germany), Raftsund

Bridge and Stolma Bridge (Norway), the bridge over the Abava River, the overpass on Road A2 (Latvia) and for many other structures. In the aforementioned list, the two reinforced concrete cantilever Raftsund and Stolma Bridges in Norway that are the longest bridges in the world, and for which lightweight concrete was used for the middle ď ž300 m spans, are worth mentioning (Figure 3).

There is no need to go far to find examples of the best practices in the application of modern lightweight concrete. In neighbouring Latvia, lightweight concrete mixtures were used for the reconstruction of masonry arch bridges over the river Abava in Kandava and over the river Venta in KuldÄŤga (Figure 4). During the

reconstruction of both bridges, the arch overlay was reinforced by preserving the historical appearance of the bridge.

During the reconstruction, the sand aggregate inside the archs was replaced with lightweight concrete of Class LC16/18 and with a density of 1,730 kg/m3. Use of the concrete decreased the tare weight of the bridge overlay and allowed the reinforcement of the foundations of the bridge to be avoided. The overpass on Road A2 should also be mentioned. An uncut slab floor of concrete with lightweight aggregates for three spans, with a strength of about 70 MPa and a density of about 2,000 kg/m3 (Figure 5) was used in the structure of the stay-cable system

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco%E2%80%93Oakland_Bay_Bridge)

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construction

IMPROVED BY LITHUANIAN SCIENTISTS In Lithuania, lightweight concrete was mainly explored as thermal insulation or a partition material not characterised by a high compression strength. Earlier, a great deal of attention was paid to the examination of expanded clay concrete plates, which were widely used for the external walls of multi-apartment buildings during the Soviet times. A limited number of research projects at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) and the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in this area can be mentioned. in 2011, the Department of Building Materials at VGTU developed a lightweight concrete mixture with an expanded clay aggregate, with a compression strength of 18.5 MPa and a density of up to 1,400 kg/m3. Nevertheless, its practical applications for supporting structures was limited due to a too low Aggregates used in the production of structural lightweight concrete. compression strength. A mixture with a compression strength of 37.5 MPa and a density of 1,780 kg/m3 developed by the Department of Building Materials of KTU Figure 6 Aggregates are used in the lightweight self-compacting concrete. The was used for the plates of the pathways production of structural lightweight application of such aggregates resulted of the M. K. ÄŒiurlionis Bridge over the concrete. in the production of concrete mixtures Nemunas River in Kaunas.

The use of different aggregates enables with a compression strength varying Lightweight concrete is produced by using concrete of different densities to be from 23.9 to 102.5 MPa and a density the air spaces in concrete mixtures. Three produced.

The classification of lightweight varying from 1,458 to 2,348 kg/m3. If main types of lightweight concrete can be concrete by density is shown in Figure 7. other aggregates are used, it is difficult distinguished: 1) lightweight aggregate It should be noted that not all aggregates to achieve the established mechanical or concrete (cavities are in the aggregate); are appropriate for structural concrete.

The physical characteristics (for example, the 2) cellular concrete and foamed concrete simultaneous use of several aggregates in compression strength or density). In some (cavities are in the cement paste); and 3) the mixture may have a significant effect. cases, the mixtures are not acceptable concrete without a fine aggregate (sand in technological terms. The best results is refused and cavities form between the were obtained by combining several coarse aggregate parts). In addition to aggregates in one mixture. During the heavyweight aggregates (sand, gravel, CREATING A UNIQUE research, the dependence between the crushed stone), natural or artificial CONCRETE MIXTURE density and strength of the lightweight selflightweight aggregates (Type 1) are applied compacting concrete with glass granules for the production of structural lightweight In implementation of the project by a group allowed the researchers to choose the concrete mixtures. Artificial aggregates of scientists titles "Constitutive Modelling mixture compositions according to the include secondary raw materials, which and Structural Application of Reinforced set strength and density criteria, i.e. a recently have been more intensively Self-Compacting Lightweight Concrete" minimum density of 1,400 kg/m3, and a applied according to the concept of a (SECOLAC) funded by the Research minimum compression strength of 40 MPa circular economy. Generally, the density Council of Lithuania in 2015–2017, VGTU were recommended. All the examined of structural lightweight concrete varies created a self-compacting lightweight concrete mixtures (except for some minor from 1,400 kg/m3 to 2,000 kg/m3, and concrete mixture. Such a mixture was exceptions) satisfied the requirements the compression strength after 28 days of created for the first time in Lithuania. for the durability characteristics, i.e. stiffening is between 10 MPa and 70 MPa. Classic expanded clay and an innovative possibilities for the structural application The essential characteristic of lightweight solution, i.e. processed glass granules, of the mixtures in terms of long-term aggregates is a high porosity. This reduces were used for the production of the operations were ensured. the tare density of the material. Examples of the most popular aggregates are shown in Figure 6.

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construction

Classification of lightweight concrete aggregates according to their density.

CHANGE TO THE USUAL TECHNOLOGIES The concrete mixtures created during the project implementation period were used in experimental studies on reinforced lightweight concrete beams. It should be emphasised that, in practical terms, the physical and mechanical parameters of the elements are determined by the limits of durability, i.e. cracking and deformations of the elements. The results of these experimental studies have been used for the creation of physical material models of concrete, which are then applied then in the numeric analysis of reinforced lightweight concrete elements. The recommended algorithms were used for an assessment of the conformity of the prototype reinforced lightweight concrete elements of a natural size with the requirements of the limited suitability regulations developed according to the European harmonised standards. A comparison of

the theoretical and experimental results of the prototype structures of a real size suggests the adequacy and suitability of the recommended concept for an analysis of the suitability in real lightweight concrete structures. In the future, the model may be used as a tool for the specification or improvement of the methods of the design standards, with a view to ensuring a higher reliability of their results. The initiated research has continued in the implementation of the global project "Increasing the Durability of Reinforced Concrete Structures: Innovative Cracking Modelling Concept" funded from the EU Structural Funds allocated for the priority axis "Strengthening of Researcher Capacities" of the Operational Programme for Human Resource Development.

Modern production and design technologies allow the creation,

development and introduction of innovative structural solutions to be ebsured in real projects. The application of lightweight self-compacting concrete in real structures will not only enable the introduction of innovations in business, but will also certainly create added value for the construction industry sector, as well as promote the further development of innovative solutions in Lithuania by changing the traditions that have been established in the national constructi

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architecture

Competition of the SEAC: Success Is Due to the Input

Prepared by Kristina Buidovaitė

THE EXPERIENCE I GAINED HAS CONVINCED ME The conditions of the architectural competition of the SEAC, organised by the agriculture and urban planning offices MASH Studio and Martyno Marozo architektūra ir planavimas (MMAP) are particularly interesting, thorough and different from the usual ones applicable in organising architectural competitions.

Martynas Marozas, the urbanist who spoke with the architects Justinas Dūdėnas and Andrius Ropolas in the podcast Aikštėje (In the Square), us told that engaging a

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The open architectural competition of the Stasys Eidrigevičius Art Centre (SEAC) is referred to as exemplary; especially since the Lithuanian architects are used to competition results which are appealed against or cancelled, or the ideas are still not realised as the customer, nevertheless, decides that he does not wish to allocate funds for implementation of the project, or the design is still not realised one year or several years after the competition... Or is already completed by some other architects. company and not, for example, applying to the Panevėžys Branch of the Lithuanian Union of Architects (LUA), was the aim of Panevėžys Municipality. The LUA does not prohibit this, especially as the objective is the same in any case, namely, a high quality architectural competition.

The advantage of theMASH Studio and MMAP teams is sufficient international experience, which has been gained by contributing to the organisation of significant projects. Thus, the offices have managed to convince their

customers that they are worth trusting.

Furthermore, this competition is not the first competition to attract the attention of international companies, as Mokslo sala (Island of Science) in Kaunas organised by the Malcolm Reading Consultants was also such a competition. The same worldwide renowned company organised the international competition for the M. K. Čiurlionis Concert Centre in Kaunas.

"Taking into account the best practices,

architecture

The work of MB Syrus, acting as IMPLMNT was selected as a winner of SEMC competition by an expert panel.

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This has been emphasised by the Architects Chamber of Lithuania; while the global architectural community has also been discussing this for a long time.

content, conditions and composition of the commission, we believed that it was worthwhile organising a competition.

It may be stated that a new standard of organisation for such competitions has appeared, and the approach to architectural competitions has become more serious. Our main goal in the organisation of a competition is to prepare high quality conditions and this requires an urbanistic perception, find out the interests of those involved, drawing up feasibility studies, making a decision on the expediency of the competition, and combining different interest groups so that they will provide their opinions on the parameters of a particular place," said M. Marozas.

COMPETITION IS A FAIR METHOD

The team of authors consisted of Aurimas Syrus, Greta Šidlauskaitė and Ričardas Bertašius.

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The urbanist emphasised that the assignment to design something beautiful creates an unfair competition, since neither the budget of the project nor the programme are defined, and it is only aesthetics that are competing.

And there are almost no clearly defined parameters for aesthetics. Thus, first of all, it is necessary to make sure that the assignment for the architects has been very clearly formulated and that the project can actually be implemented. "Unreal projects or projects oriented towards 'fishing' for ideas are a waste of time in the architects' community. The preparation of one tender costs around EUR 10,000. Not appreciating such an effort is unacceptable. This has been emphasised by the Architects Chamber of Lithuania; while the global architectural community has also been discussing this for a long time," commented M. Marozas.

Before publishing the architectural competition of the SEAC, a creative workshop was organised which united all the interested groups so that the latter could come forward with their ideas, communicate their problems and offer possible solutions. "One does not want to be an urban planner who simply comes in and says how it should be. Generally, the local people knows best, but we can offer alternative solutions and directions, then present them for evaluation. The creative workshop contributed to the preparation of a feasibility study. The influence of the future centre of culture in Panevėžys was analysed, the programme of the building has been defined, we talked to the artist S. Eidrigevičius, and we found out the vision of the government of the city. Everything was done so that the project was not just a reflection of one architect but a reflection of the Panevėžys community," stated the urbanist.

The creative workshop was integrated with the conditions of the competition. The organisers of the competition found it very important to make the issues that were important to the architects clear, and not to burden them with additional information or semantic digressions. Thus, we wanted to clearly state what was really important, so that the architects could compete not with banal digressions but with the architecture. It was also very important that he reconstruction of the Garsas (Sound) cinema was not considered during the creative workshops, and that after them, a study of the structures of the building was prepared and an analysis of the existing building was carried out.

There are three options for dealing with the existing building: it could be repaired without significantly changing the essential parameters or the volume and adapted for a new function; a complete overhall (reconstruction) could be carried out; or we demolish it. Demolition is not the most sustainable alternative. Thus, according to the urbanist, a failure to consider the other possibilities would be short-sighted.

More than 2 two years have elapsed from time of the first idea to the end of the competition. It took some time to come to terms with the project, consolidate all the initiatives, and make the interests clear.

A feasibility study was intended for this, but equally important was the fact that the budget of the project was laid down in the strategic operational plan. In competitions where the strategic operational plan does not indicate a particular amount of money, there is a greater likelihood that a contract will not be signed.

ART IS INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY M. Marozas is satisfied that competitions must be depoliticised so that the works are evaluated by a competent commission, where the members are respected, the commission votes unanimously, and their opinions do not differ. In this way, the contract could be signed on the following day without any complaints.

„IMPLMNT architects“ visuals.

The competition should also be subject to a validity period, because contemporary architecture reflects the existing trends and attitudes towards the problems arising today.

According to M. Marozas, the success of a competition is affected by how many architects read the conditions and register for participation. To this end, a website and a social network page were created, while a clear communication plan was drawn up. The communication was carried out in a planned manner until the date of the publication of the works.

M. Marozas confirmed that ideally, the creative process should be organised so that not only architects but also the society becomes aware of it. The planned object became an object of pride for the whole

city. Besides this, 19 works were presented for the competition.

One of the unexpected and, at the same time, most criticised criteria was the 'Stasys' style, on the basis of which the tenders were classified into three groups. Some of the architects tried to repeat one of the sculptures of S. Eidrigevičius by copy the form of the sculpture. Others decided to take the criterion into account through adding subtle details.

The winners, i.e.IMPLMNT architects, determined that the creativity of the artist was characterised by an asymmetric composition, longer lines, planes and a sense of mystery. "On the one hand, the winners could be criticised that they designed a 'box' but if one looks at the drawings and details more closely, you

see that the wall is bent and the vents are hidden. They have dug deeper into the substance of the 'Stasys' style. They did not try to copy him, and did not try to repeat any of his works or characters in the building, which is not a very prudent approach," concluded M. Marozas. There were also other candidates who did not pay attention to the criterion.

"We should try to speak more openly, to establish the standards of a good and authentic work. What is good art and what is not good art... This should be the main challenge of that evaluation in an architectural competition. The 'Stasys' style is only one criteria. Other criteria are the effectiveness, urban environment, architecture, price and many others," concluded the urbanist.

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architecture

AudronÄ— FILIMANAVIÄŒIENÄ–

Mankind has always cared about how tomorrow will look, what we will do and what type of environment will surround us. But what if tomorrow starts today? State-of-the-art technologies are granting us so much freedom that people are becoming less and less dependent on their work or rest places. Is Lithuania ready for futuristic architecture? Marijus Surdokas, Engineer-Architect of the Baltic Architects Group, helps to open the door to the future as we travel to two different and unique cities in Lithuania, namely, Alytus and Kaunas.

Today more than 50 percent of the residents of the world live in cities. It is estimated that this indicator will increase to 75 percent in 2050. What challenges, in your opinion, will we face?

opinion, should we do in order for the city to become alive and to prevent it from becoming straggling, segregated and noneffective?

I believe that one of the greatest challenges in the future will be related to the employment of people. As the production lines become robotised, the processes digitised and artificial intelligence improves, in the near future people may be distanced from the majority of work that they carry out today.

What they will do then? Will new types of work appear? Will people spend their time only on recreation and entertainment? Or will mankind be able to spend its free time focusing on new ideas which will encourage new high quality breakthroughs for civilisation? Today, it is difficult to say how the cities will change, but they will inevitably try to satisfy the changing needs of human civilisation by virtue of their functions.

The city is its residents. How we can change the city when its residents are sitting in cars, buses or subway tunnels for hours? Today, the city is suffering from individual travelling to work, which wastes so much time. If work principles are digitised in the near future, an individual will not have to travel across the whole city to the company in which he works.

He may work for any company in the world from his place of residence. Although very few people work according to this principle today, I believe that in the future such employment relationships will gradually become the standard. The cities will then change as well.

People themselves will change them. The job of architects and urban planners is to observe the times and to offer solutions in the evolution of the ecosystems of cities.

The architects, city planners and the developers, who understand the city as an ecosystem in which it is good to live, have pointed out the uniformity and sterility of the city of today. What, in your

Do you agree that the problems of cities today were caused by the industrialisation of cities in the past, where production was separated from residential areas, so separate industrial and sleeping districts

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emerged? How can we "get rid" of this?

I don't believe that some past events can be blamed for some of the problems of today. We can only blame ourselves for too slow decision-making and a rather sluggish response to the changes. In the future, the dynamics of change in workplaces will be even quicker; thus, when speaking about cities and their functionalities, we should get used to discussing this, to realise the facts of the matter, to find solutions and to act on a constant basis.

Progressive urban planners have set out a three-part slogan: the cities must attract new residents, be newly developed and be covered with plants. What do you think about this?

Today, the cities of the world are in very different situations, they are characterised by different features and they face different problems. The cities of Lithuania do not face any of the deforestation problems faced by the majority metropolitan cities of the world, but we also have some deficiencies. There will be no single solution, since every city is an individual organism; if one "gets sick",

architecture

the treatment must also be personalised.

However, there are epidemic diseases affecting cities and groups of cities. In such a case, we can speak about a common treatment plan. In the future, I would not like to see dead cities, i.e. cities which are neglected and abandoned by the people living there. Building a new sustainable city is quicker and simpler than the reconstruction of an old city, but this would be a mistake. We will face a great challenge in searching for solutions on how to convert industrial cities, which today do not satisfy any needs of the people, but only the needs of workplaces. We have to provide certain value to the cities so that they will not become phantoms, and so that people will choose to live in them even without direct links with their workplaces.

How, in your opinion, should the infrastructure of the majority of streets and transport networks be changed in order to find the right balance between vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians?

A car is a tool that satisfies the ego of an individual. It could disappear in the future.

As the cities change, they should enable active individuals to move on foot, scooters,

office is situated. When such employment relationships becomes not an exception but the rule, the cells of the cities and their structures will start to appear organically.

This applies throughout the world and in Lithuania. Small steps have already been made, as the HUB work culture is growing in the cities of Lithuania, and cultural community centres are appearing in residential areas. Often, it is not architects and not the politicians who do this. It is done by people who are enthusiastically seeking a better quality of life for themselves and for others. When the process gains momentum, businesses will see it is in their interest, and it will speed up even more.

As far as we know, the architect studio run by you consists of futurologists who are already boldly creating a vision of the future city in Lithuania. Please tell us about the most important features of the Alytus HUB centre Baltoji rožė and New Kaunas. segways, bicycles or other electronic modular capsules which do not yet exist today. Larger distances should be overcome by modular buses, trains or planes.

Is it true that the best way of dealing with the stagnation of the cities in this century is to create integrated, mixed cities which are convenient, have easily accesible points of interest, save time, and are functional and safe, communityled and playful, and above all, are rich and happy? How we could seek to achieve this in Lithuania? Are we mature enough for these changes?

I am very glad that more and more brave people who are not afraid of making mis­takes, who are creating future prospects through their own energy, are appearing in the city.

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Surely, the answer is 'yes'. The cities must be split into small cells connected to one shared nucleus, the spine of which consists of culture, art, education, sport, self-government and other public objects of attraction. Meanwhile, the small city cells must have all the objects for satisfying the needs of the inhabitants' daily interests.

Multi-functional community centres with HUB-type work spaces, leisure, children's sport and research centres would appear in such cells. Today, we often have a radial system where the public functions and leisure spaces and workplaces of the city struggle to survive in the nucleus of the city. We live on the periphery of the city and, huddled togerther, we travel to the centre every day, because we cannot satisfy our daily needs near our place of residence. I believe that this process may only be substantially changed by the new employment relations I mentioned before, where an individual is not attached to a workplace in a particular building in the city centre, in which his/her head

I am very glad that more and more brave people who are not afraid of making mistakes, who are creating future prospects through their own energy, are appearing in the city. The young group of architects run by me has also been present at discussions about the city's problems, to analyse possible alternatives and to put forward their proposals.

The HUB centre Baltoji rožė in Alytus is our idea, which this small city in Lithuania should move toward in a targeted way.

Alytus has a lot of space and greenery, so it is convenient to travel by bicycle and on foot. Many of the factories and plants which previously flourished have now been closed. Youths are massively moving to larger cities for a more interesting career or to try their 'luck' abroad. The city is suffering from emigration and should invest not only in parks and the construction of new bridges (which is happening today), but should also create working conditions for the new generation and attract teleworkers.

Although pessimism is prevailing in the city today, I believe that very little is necessary to make it become prosperous. The white rose shown in the city's coat of arms has encouraged our group of architects to create a centre for work and leisure, in which the main part of the labour market will become concentrated in the near future. It should become not only a centre of attraction for businesses but also a centre of attraction for those seeking leisure. Expressive facades will not only remind us of a white rose blossom, but with their sleek shapes and manoeuvrable slats, they visually suggest a forward movement while also protecting the buildings against overheating, ensuring a comfortable climate inside.

„New Kaunas“ – the city of the future of Lithuania. Visuals from „Baltic Architects Group“.

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architecture The utopian architectural ideas of the New Kaunas project demonstrate how the cities of today should expand around the existing structures, by creating new cells of an optimal size integrated with nature. New Kaunas is a model for the cells of the future cities, in which the dwellers can satisfy their daily needs without cars. This architectural idea shows a possibility of how the expanding city should not destroy the existing framework of nature, but instead supplements it.

New Kaunas is a small city which exists as an autonomous part of the larger city, in the loop of the Nemunas in the Kaunas Reservoir. It represents greenery, water and an individual who is inextricably linked and deeply interested in the merits of nature. Nothing can obscure the sunlight on an island. Also, strong winds are often found here. The facades of the buildings could transform the wind and solar energy into electricity, and the foundations could be constructed with a geothermal network that fully satisfies the residents' needs. Motor transport could be refused in the centre of the city. The distances are not large here; thus, everything can be reached on foot. A person's needs are satisfied by moving, and a moving society is healthy and viable.

Frequent trips to the centre of the city would become unnecessary, except for the purpose of spending our free time there. The network of such places in Kaunas would allow the residents of the metropolitan city to work, live and spend their leisure time without leaving their permanent environment. Such places would compete with each other, so people could choose them according to their own needs.

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It is even more important that any growing city stops destroying nature and helps us to 'communicate' with it. In my opinion, we could see the growth of the cities with a similar structure in Lithuania over the next century. However, before this we have to solve the existing internal planning problems of our cities.

Finally, what the cities of the world need are solutions which have been considered as utopic until recently, but are they in some sense already a reality today, and have we already caught up with the future? What are these solutions? Are you fascinated by them? What similar solutions could be implemented in Lithuania?

I am fascinated by the urban development of Copenhagen. It is a wonderful example where the city has constantly participated in a broad discussion about the past, the present and the future, by creating various visions, analysing them and making solutions that are consistent in terms of the time, and which first focus on the individual. I would like to wish this for Lithuania. The creation of our future is the duty of all of us. I believe that we all should speak about the future and express our ideas, irrespective of our jobs, and the specialists present at these discussions should summarise their conclusions and make the appropriate decisions. I am delighted that, although the processes are slow, they are taking place in our country in a high quality manner.

NARRATIVE OF THE SMART CITY If a smart city is a jungle of sensors and computer networks, what is the role of man in such a city? Specialists agree that a smart city should be safe and convenient, in particular, to an individual. Nevertheless, sometimes the ambitions of cities may shift the boundaries. One hears about plans to entrust the lives of the cities to artificial intelligence.

Kristina BUIDOVAITÄ–

MORE CONVENIENT CITY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL The architect Matas Ĺ iupĹĄinskas agrees that, when creating a smart city, the renovation of the infrastructure is of particular importance due to the installation of different sensors in such a city and owing to the huge amount of information involved. "The objects surrounding us gradually become a part of the object's interior, and to this end, they must be able to receive signals, as well as collect and exchange data.

The smart city is a city full of such objects that are used for the more efficient management of resources, by

involving residents and responding to the problems of the city. The smart city is an attempt to make parts of city life more effective, green and convenient by means of information technologies," commented the architect.

Is a city controlled only by artificial intelligence possible? According to our interlocutor, probably 'yes' in the dystopian view but probably 'no' in reality. A part of the city infrastructure may be automated, but the city is not only constructed of its infrastructure.

It is a cultural, political and social unit; thus, the consignment of its integrated

life to the hands of artificial intelligence would be an unlikely solution. The temptation to do this may arise for the sake of convenience but, in such a case, a lot of ethical issues in relation to privacy and freedom of the residents would immediately emerge. All possible data, even personal data, would have to be made open and all the residents would have to do this. According to our interlocutor, huge compromises, which are unlikely in a democratic society and in an 'imperfect' historically established city, would be necessary.

Ideas about cities governed by artificial

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smart city intelligence have been raised and, as published in the advertising texts, already tested in China and other Asian countries. "It is hard to know about the truthfulness of information about the governance methods, but it is one thing for energy and transport to be governed by artificial intelligence and another thing to govern the whole city," concluded the architect.

CHINA IS AN EXAMPLE The architect advises those who are interested in smart cities to observe what is happening in China, since it has that ambition to be a leader in the field of artificial intelligence. The totalitarian system is perfect for radical urban experiments, since in such a system the ownership rights and privacy may be ignored. "If the state decide to build an absolutely new city which will be balanced with a centralised governance from the very beginning, and if it makes a decision on the amount and types of Photo credit: pixabay.com.

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data which will be collected on behalf of the residents, a city almost fully governed by artificial intelligence is possible. But nevertheless it will remain 'almost'," the architect believes.

The definition of a 'smart city' is not global and it is gradually changing. Today, there is an established understanding that this is not only a city full of sensors and detectors. "Technologies are necessary, but they must also be interconnected and exchange information. And even this is also not enough. The possibility for data exchanges must have a positive impact on the residents of the city, promote innovations and a higher quality of community life, and support the involvement of the residents in the city governance. Today, such a city would be considered as smart. Amsterdam, Stockholm, Dubai, New York and many other cities call themselves smart cities.

There are cities which are being built in an empty space that are immediately introduced as smart cities. Often though, this is more related to marketing and not to the creation of a viable city," said the architect.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE A CITY WITHOUT TECHNOLOGIES The architect confirmed that any city needs technologies which allow the physical infrastructure to be managed more effectively, and there must exist tools for the involvment of residents in the decision-making. Besides this, a city must constantly improve and change so that it better meets the needs of the city dwellers, in order to compete with other cities. The official objectives of the smart city are borrowed from sustainable city concepts, but the way of offering the solutions is different. The economic, social, environmental and other issues of the city are dealt with in the smart city by means of information and communication technologies. This is aimed at improving the living conditions and fostering the environment.

Probably the majority of us would agree with such objectives being included in the concept of the smart city. But our

smart city scepticism becomes stronger when it comes to particular technological solutions presented to implement such objectives, because sometimes such solutions are similar to those in a novel by George Orwell. "For example, experiments with rating people are carried out, such as the so-called social credit score that is being tested in China.

A city-dweller may receive penalty points, as a result of which he is not only embarrassed, but also his possibility to use a part of the transport and education services is restricted. If such an idea is combined with a city full of sensors, it would not be a smart city but a prison.

Thus, not only the technologies but also the purposes for which they are used, and the type of city that could be formed by such technologies are important concerns," stated our interlocutor.

Speaking about the possibility of an infrastructure that not only creates connections but also terminates them, M. Šiupšinskas remembered a legend about the Robert Moses bridges created in Long Island in the 1930s. According

to one version, these stone bridges intersecting the road were deliberately designed to be lower, so that heavy commercial vehicles could not move along the road. The road was to serve passenger vehicles. Some believe that R. Moses created a barrier impeding access to deprived persons, mainly African Americans, who at that time only had their own cars in rare cases and mainly used public transport, i.e. buses.

It is unclear what were the real objectives, but this story should be remembered in discussions about sensor networks and smart technologies. Depending on the use of such technologies, they can connect the city dwellers, or close them inside personal information bubbles.

THE FACE OF ARCHITECTURE IS CHANGING In cases where the city changes, the city dwellers and their needs change

and, according to M. Šiupšinskas, the architecture also changes. Nevertheless, at least at this stage, it is difficult to say how such changes will occur. We can fantasise that if the city is full of sensors and smart vehicles, we will not need traffic-lights, zebra crossings and even street curbs anymore. In such a case, we may have to reconsider what are the public spaces of the city, as maybe the streets may 'melt' and have no more boundaries.

The projects being developed in the city are already changing due to new technologies. For example, the rental platform Airbnb has developed a whole short-term rental sector; thus, the need for small housing that can be easily rented out has arisen. The developers have started to split the constructed buildings into smaller residential units.

Home deliveries of goods have changed the need for a supermarket near one's home, as it may be further away and vis ted less rarely, and a small convenience store nearby is enough. The physical body of the city is rather stagnant and

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it changes very slowly; however, major changes will probably occur not in terms of the appearance of buildings or streets, but in terms of the ways in which people use them.

JUGGLING WITH THE DEFINITION M. Šiupšinskas agrees that everyone defines with the term 'smart city' as they please. Several years ago, it became a buzzword which was used by everyone, but nobody completely understood what it was. Today the situation is similar, although the definition has become somewhat more specific. Sometimes the terms digital city, ubiquitous city, knowledge city and creative city are used as synonyms to similar terms, but their actual definition is much narrower. Some people focus on technologies, while other people focus on the exchange of knowledge and information.

The smart city is the most comprehensive term, in which different layers such as the social, political, technological, energy, knowledge and data exchange layers, etc., overlap.

In the 20th century, the face of the cities was changed to a 'hard' physical infrastructure. But the modern electricity, transport, sewerage and heating networks that have been designed have changed the planning of the city, and 34

the construction technologies have also changed. After all this reaches its peak, the changes dictated by the new information technology opportunities will allow us to employ the same physical infrastructure in a more effective manner, making the most of it.

SOCIAL NETWORK DATA FOR RESEARCH During the conference GIS in Education 2019, Domantas Didžiapetris, a student of the Architecture Programme in the Faculty of Construction and Architecture of the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) gave a presentation on the topic "The Application of Artificial Intellience for the Smart City" and won a trip to a conference in San Diego (USA).

The usual surveys, which are not always reliable, were replaced with the data from social networks (in this case, the social network Twitter) in the paper by D. Didžiapetris.

The essence of the study paper "The Application of Artificial Intellience for the Smart City" was the identification of the places in the city in which the emotional state (or well-being) of the dwellers was the worst, without using the usual surveys but by instead employing the data from social networks.

According to the researcher, the major part of a smart city consists of smart

facilities. They are used for sharing information in the internet and social networks. Often the information is more straightforward, forthright and bolder on the internet. According to D. Didžiapetris, the best medium for carrying out of such work is the social network Twitter, since the number of symbols it employs are very limited. Thus, the messages will be shorter and more specific. As this network is not currently popular in Lithuania, the heart of New York, i.e.

Manhattan, was been chosen for the analysis.

The student from KTU collected data for his research by a programmed application which collects depersonalised Twitter entries, in which information such as the place, coordinates and text are saved in a data file in real time. He collected more than one million items of such data.

The collected data had to be processed, because it came from the Twitter network 'unclean', meaning it contained a lot of unnecessary signs, symbols and codes. In addition, the coordinates were not broken into longitude and latitude, and some of the entries were not from Manhattan.

The clean data was classified by the neighbourhoods of Manhattan by means of another application, then was further analysed, so that the meanings of the polarity and subjectivity of the social network could be determined. The polarity showed the extent to which the emotion while positive or negative; while the subjectivity showed the extent to which the information was subjective and actual.

Having analysed all thirteen neighbourhoods, the neighbourhood in which the emotional state was the worst was established, i.e. Upper West Side. Lastly, an analysis of the urban network in relation to the neighbourhood was performed, which allowed the least accessible place of the neighbourhood to be identified. "My assumption was simple, the poorer the accessibility, the greater the neglect would be. And the higher the neglect, the higher the possible criminality," summarised the researcher. "The photos of the places identified by me suggest that the research and figures have not lied, as the situation in these places is really poor."

33 Equipment and electrical-automation systems design; 33 Project management; 33 Equipment modernization and automation; 33 Assembly and programming of electrical-automation systems; 33 Technical consultancy.

www.tprojektas.lt

technologies

Vilnius Combined

HEAT AND POWER PLANT: An Architectural and Technological Challenge

THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO INTERTWINE THE BUILDING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT. Valda KaroblienÄ—, Architect at the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant, told Statyba ir architektĹŤra that the main idea behind the architectural concept of this voluminous project was to convey 36

the idea of the environment-friendliness of the object to the environment. "We wanted to show that it is not such an awful object as it has been portrayed," pointed out the architect. Of course, the structure has been significantly affected by the technology employed and the parcel of land, i.e. this has dictated the volumes of the buildings and their layout.

At the beginning of the project, the architects took the view that the

structure should be integrated into the environment as much as possible, so that it was as undistinguishable as it could be; nevertheless, the highest building will be taller than 60 metres; thus, it has become clear that it will be impossible to hide the object.

According to the architect, the structure is being built on the outskirts of the city, where generally, buildings are not high; instead, they are characterised

technologies

ACTIVITIES WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION

Kristina BUIDOVAITĖ Less waste in landfills and cheaper waste management: this is the ambition of the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant being constructed on the outskirts of the capital on Jočionių Street. This object is evidence that there are no limits for high quality architecture. When designing the industrial building, the architect took the approach that harmony should be maintained with the environment .

„Lietuvos energija“ visual. by horizontal structures. Therefore, it was decided to split some of the higher buildings horizontally in terms of colours, so that they would look better from a panoramic perspective. Besides this, high stairwells were designed because the vertical columns of high chimneys prevail in the territory. The stairwells are distinguished by intense colours that vertically fit into the joint complex of

vertical volumes.

All buildings of the complex are integrated by the same colour scale and materials. Different shades of grey will prevail in the colour range of the facades of the plant, while mature orange will create a distinctive accent.

Two cogeneration units, i.e. a unit for processing the municipal waste which remains after sorting and is inappropriate for recycling and a biofuel combustion unit, have been constructed in the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant. The cogeneration process will be used for the production of heat and electricity in the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant, where not only heat but also electricity are simultaneously produced in the plant. Electricity will be produced in the generator driving the steam turbine and heat is recovered from the waste steam in the turbine condensers. Besides this, much more heat will be recovered in the steam condensing economisers, while waste heat from the technological equipment cooling systems will also be used for heating the heating water using effective heat pumps.

The Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant is constructed in a 8.5 ha territory: an area of 3.5 ha is intended for the energy part, and the remaining area is intended for the acceptance and storage of biofuel. 20 buildings of different purposes, the largest of which is around 65 m in height, as well as waste and biofuel boiler station buildings are being built in the parcel of land for the operation of the plant.

A lot of environmental measures which will reduce the environmental impact are being introduced in the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant. The builders of the combined heat and power plant Lietuvos energija have sought that operation of the plant will meet not only the requirements of the legal acts in force in Lithuania, but also the more stringent environmental protection requirements which will come into force in the future.

Selective non-catalytic purifying systems, smoke treatment reactors and bag filters are being installed for purification of smoke in the waste and biofuel plants; consequently, the smoke emissions will meet the requirements of the best available production techniques that are

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technologies still in the planning stages. A continuous emission measurement system is being introduced in the chimneys for the monitoring of exhaust smoke.

The whole plant process is fully automated, and this will allow possible malfunctions attributable to human error to be avoided.

THE FIGURES ARE IMPRESSIVE Unpleasant smells are a problem that is particularly relevant to the city dwellers. In order to avoid smells and the contamination of the ambient air with dust, the plant has been designed so that the unloading of waste and biofuel will take place in closed premises with local air cut-off and filtering systems. This means that smells and dust will not leave the premises. The unloading, loading and transportation of other bulk materials will take place in a closed manner without contact with the atmospheric air by additionally installing air filtration systems.

When planning the plant, efforts were made to reduce the use of natural resources; for example, all water necessary for the technological processes is recovered from smoke condensate. Therefore, unlike similar plants, drinking water will be used only

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for the domestic needs of the employees.

In order to reduce the energy needs, all the buildings constructed without the release of excessive heat will be of thermal efficiency Class A. Furthermore, before starting to develop the project, the members of the team at Lietuvos energija set an ambitious aim, i.e. to build an energy efficient plant in Lithuania. Effective use of fuel energy will not only decrease the adverse effects to the environment, but will also ensure a lower price of heat production when compared with the other alternatives.

It is planned that heat from the cooling of technological equipment in the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant will be released for the heating of the heating water, which in Lithuania is usually removed from the building and released to the atmosphere. In addition to the condensing economisers for the waste combustion boiler, which are already usual for using the smoke waste heat, a combusted air humidification (smoke cooling) plant which is unrivalled in Lithuania is being constructed (the same plants are being constructed in the Kaunas Combined Heat and Power Plant).

All the main buildings are already being constructed. The figures are impressive: more than 2,300 foundation piles with an average length of around 17 m and a diameter of 600 mm have been drilled. About 5 thousand tonnes of reinforcement fittings have been used

in the foundations and walls of the buildings for reinforcement purposes and more than 35 thousand cubic metres of concrete, i.e. an amount which would fill 14 Olympic pools, has been poured. Around 4,300 drum vehicles for transporting concrete have carried concrete to the construction site. One of the most challenging tasks was concreting the foundation plate of the biofuel boiler station where, in one case, around 3,800 m3 of concrete carried by 420 drum vehicles was pured for 36 hours without interruption. It was essential to ensure the supply of concrete was delivered in time; therefore, the coordination of the drum vehicles for transporting the concrete was one of the most important factors in ensuring the quality of the work.

THE CONSTRUCTION SITE IS ALWAYS FULL Concreting of the stairwells, waste fuel bunker and biofuel silages was carried out on the basis of the principle of concreting sliding formworks, where the buildings are concreted uninterruptedly, 24 hours a day. Concreting of the buildings lasted from 2 to 4 weeks.

Concrete from the trucks was supplied by means of tower cranes, and seven cranes operated simultaneously. Taken altogether, more than 8 thousand tonnes of steel structures, i.e. more than the total weight of the steel structures of the Eiffel Towel, will be installed for the boiler stations and other buildings.

Currently, the welding and installation of separate elements of the boiler stations are being carried out at the construction site. The complexity of such work results from the delivery of separate parts of the main elements of the boiler due to their size, which are then assembled and consolidated in the construction site.

The dimensions of the pipe wall of one boiler are up to 45 m in height and 30 m in width, while the weight is around 35 tonnes.

The heaviest elements to be delivered and assembled in the construction site were the steam drums of the biofuel boilers, one of which weighed more than 50 tonnes, and the turbine heat exchangers one of which weighed more than 65 tonnes.

Currently, 5 tower cranes, the highest of which is 83 metres, are operating in the construction site. In addition to the tower cranes, up to 12 mobile cranes that carry out auxiliary work are simultaneously operating in the construction site. 18 cranes are concentrated in a limited territory, so they operate one above another; thus, one of the major challenges is occupational safety and coordining the safe operation of the cranes, especially in view of the fact that heavy loads are being lifted.

It is estimated that around 160 thousand tonnes of the waste generated in our homes every year which is not recyclable after sorting may be turned into useful energy in the combined heat and power plant being constructed in Vilnius. Such amount of waste is equivalent to 200 thousand tonnes of biofuel or more than 2 million trees.

Currently, intensive construction work is being are carried out: boilers, steam turbine condensers and different types of technological equipment are all being installed. All the main equipment necessary for the plant is manufactured and supplied to the construction site on a daily basis. Work costing more than EUR 120 million has already been carried out in the plant.

It is planned that the plant will be already be operating in 2020. The total electric power of the plant is around 92 MW and the thermal power is about 229 MW.

BOX SIMPLE AND SUCCINCT GATEWAY TO KAUNAS The complex of the Kaunas Combined Heat and Power Plant is being constructed in the Kaunas FEZ territory, near the main Vilnius–Kaunas highway.

The power is like the gateway to Kaunas; thus, high architectural standards have been set for it.

The creator and the head architect of the technical design of the Kaunas plant, Jūratė Augaitytė-Leonovienė, has pointed out that the building is an industrial structure that is being constructed in the Kaunas FEZ territory, where there are quite a number of similar objects. The architect does not believe that the customer could justify additional proposals concerning solutions with large volumes, spaces or any other

technologies

Currently, 5 tower cranes, the highest of which is 83 metres, are operating in the construction site. In addition to the tower cranes, up to 12 mobile cranes that carry out auxiliary work are simultaneously operating in the construction site. ungrounded solutions; thus, the solution of a complex of buildings with simple shapes has been chosen.

The main building of the Kaunas plant consists of several very different technologically linked volumes. No attempts have intentionally been made to hide the open technological equipment which, in the architect's opinion, are quite interesting in graphical terms. Neither the chimneys nor the boiler smoke treatment facilities nor the open metal stairwells should damage the view. It was decided to choose different grey shades for the construction of Kaunas plant, although the architect pointed out that she tried a more ambitious option with a boiler that was highlighted in terms of its colour. Nevertheless, Kaunas Council of Architects rejected this idea, as they were afraid that on a massive building very close to the road it would be too distinctive.

The design team sought for homogeneity by using the same materials and facade elements, and by integrating the structures into a whole. It was decided to distinguish the main major parts of the plant by means of certain finishing materials, with matte and shiny surfaces.

Also, darker matte grey tones were designed for the lower buildings, so that the structures look as if the are firmly stuck into the ground, using graphite colour fibre cement plates. The boiler building will be of a shiny silver colour as it is made of aluminium sandwich panels.

In order for the facade planes to be more vivid, space frames with metal elements giving a tracery appearance will be used in the solutions of canopies, windows, open stair coverings and metal structural elements. It should be noted that the facade plates will also be more vivid thanks to falling shades, which change the appearance of the facades according to the daily rhythm.

The closest building of the Kaunas plant is 80 m from the highway. The volume of the buildings is large (the height of the fuel building is 49 m and the height of the boiler building is 46 m) and the parcel of land in the Kaunas FEZ territory is rather small; thus, it would be impossible to hide the buildings of the Kaunas plant.

Nonetheless, despite the small distance from the highway, when travelling by car towards Kaunas, the buildings of the plant will break out from behind the forest and very quickly disappear again. When travelling in the opposite direction, the buildings can be seen for longer but its massive volume is realised only once you are very close to the plant. Nevertheless, the design team has decided to add a line of gabions and vegetation on the highway side, which will not mask the structures but will visually detract from the background and soften the massiveness of the large buildings.

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Reward of the Old Handicraft of Weaving is Comfort The belief that one of the oldest handicrafts, i.e. weaving, will soon disappear is not justified. Today, knowledge of weaving techniques are flourishing again and have incorporated the modern features of Lithuania. Weavers are not merely restricted to producing outdoor and household woven items, and do not need to focus on modern home interiors. The products of the Dyda company, i.e. hand-made wicker pouffes, combine the old traditions and the daily life of a modern home.

We have preserved its nature According to historians, weaving as a handicraft is as old as history, and its origins are even older than the origins of pottery. It is extraordinary that the weaving techniques, raw materials and the structures have changed very little over the centuries. Only the shapes and purposes of these articles have changed, i.e. some woven items have moved from the household to much more splendid spheres.

The villages of Lithuania have been proud of their weavers from the very beginning; each weaver was characterised by his/ her own weaving techniques, patterns and shapes. Woven fences, baskets, bast-shoes, cradles and other household articles marked the daily lives of people in the countryside. However, wicker items did not stay in the modest countryside environment of Lithuania for long, i.e. the beauty and practicality of these articles were also appreciated by the aristocracy, while wicker articles and furniture were found in estates, presbyteries and the homes of rich city dwellers. Weaving was made rather uniform and was standardised during Soviet times, but has been revived with a new force in the years since independence, i.e. each weaver has started to look for unique expressions, along with more original ways of making their articles distinguishable among the abundant items.

100% ecological In Lithuania, generally speaking, the basket willow (Salix viminalis) which is a quick growing and very old plant is used for weaving.

This absolutely clean and organic material is unquestionably a main advantage of the weaving technique. Fittingly, there is a joke that the weaver’s shop is most commonly found on the shore of a lake or river, where the quick growing bushes are found. Ecological advocates who are concerned about wasted plant materials can also rest assured. The willows grow unbelievingly quickly, regenerate with great force and when the branches are cut every year this not only strengthens the root system of the bush, but also makes the bushes more dense.

The environmental-friendliness of the material becomes even greater due to fact that only a small number of tools, i.e. a knife or shears, are sufficient for the weaving techniques. The willow wicker is cut, sorted and gathered into bundles.

Technologies providing the most modern options have almost nothing to do here, because a good weaver takes the approach of not using any auxiliary items and collecting the wicker intuitively, at random. As the trend of handmade and natural products is growing, such an approach is becoming increasingly acceptable.

Each hand-made article is valued for its unique features, and an asymmetrical shape is even seen as an advantage proving the authentic work of the creator.

Modestly Lithuanian and functional Lithuanian wicker articles, like the majority of other ethnographic articles of the Lithuanian people, are modest, characterised by soft patterns, and are mainly created of non-coloured natural wicker. However, as an ancient or artificially-aged appearance has become increasingly popular, the weavers have decided to keep up with fashion; they give an ancient appearance to their articles by using nondebarked wicker for the weaving.

Many modern wicker articles are outside of the boundaries of auxiliary household articles which, generally, consisted of baskets a long time ago. Wicker furniture which is particularly lightweight, aesthetic and perfect for yards, terraces and the home has become especially popular. Wicker furniture is mainly used for practice purposes so far, but sometimes such furniture may be seen as a work of art.

As the trend for ecology and moderate consumption has emerged, the majority of furniture manufacturers have focussed on multifunctionality of their articles. If you wish, the willow wicker pouffes offered by the Dyda company, which are comfortable for sitting on, can also be used as storage chests or cat beds. Such furniture satisfies the expectations of any purpose because it is made of entirely natural, organic materials: willow wicker from an organic farm is used for the shape and natural oak and cow leather are used for the bottom. Dyda values the ecological value, handiwork, environmental-friendliness and long-lasting characteristics of the article; thus, it is not oriented toward quick mass production. The company offers pouffes in two natural colours, i.e. light and dark, and promises to produce them within one month. Another conscious aim of the Lithuanian company is to offer as many jobs to disabled people as possible.

https://www.dyda.lt/

construction

Builder ID Cards: Are We Moving from

Promises to Actions?

IndrÄ— VOZGIRDAITÄ–

There is no longer any doubt that the introduction of builder ID cards will change the situation in the construction sector, solving the long-standing problem of illegal work. This is shown most clearly by the experiences of other countries, in particular Scandinavia, in which similar cards are being successfully used. However, constant discussions have revealed sensitive issues which have not yet been resolved: how long will er have to wait for the cards in Lithuania; and to whom, i.e. public sector institutions or associations, will the control over them be entrusted?

MARIUS NARMONTAS, Director of the Construction and Territorial Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment In Lithuania, the discussion has already started, and the Commission for Reduction of the Shadow Economy that is searching for different measures for reducing the shadow economy in Lithuania, has been set up in the Government. According to the resolution of the commission, a mandatory builder ID will be obligatory in the construction sector. Before the application of this resolution, legislation must be drawn up and systems must be prepared. All of this takes time, and according to the preliminary evaluation, we will have to wait for one year or a year and a half for the requirements to come into force.

Some countries have already voluntarily

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introduced a builder card system, or the state itself has adopted a regulation on these cards. It is known that the introduction of ID cards in the construction sector was particularly effective in Finland, Sweden and other countries. It is difficult to assess the possible final result in Lithuania but, judging from the example of other countries, there is a belief that the cards should help to combat the shadow economy.

However, it should also be emphasised that an administrative burden will arise; thus, there are ongoing discussions in Lithuania. The Association of Small Businessmen has objected to this, requesting an estimate of the administrative burden, but we believe that the final result may be effective.

In particular, the approach towards

introducing builder professional cards should be integrated. It will serve not only as a measure for reducing the shadow economy, but also as a measure for ensuring security, quality and professionalism. Besides this, the card may be used for determining the quality, for the accounting of time and other things. Benefits will be generated from more than one area, in more than one way.

It has been decided to entrust the organisation and control of issuing the cards to the State Labour Inspectorate, and the cards will probably be issued by those who are successful in the tender procedure published by the state.

The system must be developed in a transparent and effective manner, so this cannot be carried out without a tender procedure, since this is related to the public register, collected information, data management, etc.

construction KĘSTUTIS VANAGAS, Manager of the YIT Lietuva company The fact that a shadow economy exists in the construction sector of the country is an open secret. The introduction of the professional builder card could be one of the measures that would help to eliminate the shadow, or to create competitive conditions for all representatives of the sector. We are open to this and to similar initiatives.

The idea of professional builder cards is a good one, but there are some open questions in relation to the distribution

VAIDAS AUGUSTINAVIÄŒIUS, Chief Adviser of the Strategic Competencies Group of the Office of the Government Although the shadow ecenomy in Lithuania has decreased (1 percent of the GDP has decreased per year), it is still a significant issue and has expanded to a lot of areas. It is the highest in the construction sector. The Commission for the Reduction of the Shadow Economy, the main principle of which is addressing the issues 'sector by sector', was set up last year. This is probably the most effective measure, and it is also effective in other sector; for example, in the trade

of petroleum products and the transport sector.

A study on the application of builder ID cards in other countries was carried out last year. The international data suggests that the builder ID cards in separate countries have a lot of individual features; thus, it is very important to find out the details of the operations of different schemes in other countries. It would be best to simply take over the practices of other countries, but not to repeat their mistakes. Thus, we have visited Sweden and Norway, and have communicated with Finland. The European Commission has recognised the Scandinavian practice as one of the best.

For example, in Norway, the builder ID card is mandatory, there exist statutory grounds for this regulation and the main role is played by the State Labour Inspectorate. In Sweden, the builder ID card is not mandatory and it is issued on a voluntary basis, but the electronic time record is mandatory in the construction sector and the responsibility for this falls on the State Tax Inspectorate. In Finland, the taxpayer identification number issued by the State Tax Inspectorate is mandatory; thus, every employee of the construction sector must have it. A voluntary card in relation to the construction sector, meeting certain standards, is used in parallel. Thus, there are two models: the first model where the card is introduced on the basis of the law and the public sector institutions play a major role; and the second model

and responsibility for the development and support network, as well as the involvement of employees in different areas (for example, road builders), personal data protection, etc.

Furthermore, the methods for the promotion of the personal responsibility of an individual for the acquisition of a card himself, or for qualification evaluations should be taken into consideration. In any case, we see the ongoing discussions as a step forward.

where the card is introduced on the basis of self-regulation and the main role is played by associations or companies.

We should consider the concept of the builder ID card on a statutory basis because, in order to reduce the shadow economy, the card should be absolutely necessary for everyone. Nevertheless, the right to receive the builder ID card should not be associated with any excessive obligations or administrative burdens. Everyone who wants to carry out work should receive the card without imposing any restrictions in terms of qualifications. There are almost one hundred thousand employees, including 40 percent of self-employed persons, involved in the construction sector of Lithuania. Thus, we should seek a product that is equally attractive to everyone, and a new system that can be accessed and used by all the market participants: employees of a company, self-employed persons, employers, consumers, trade unions, associations of companies and, of course, the control institutions. First of all, this is not a control measure but a system oriented towards more transparent operations of all processes and that will benefit everyone. The purpose of the builder ID card system is primarily oriented towards the identification of a person and employer, determination of the construction objects and recording of the working times (this is applicable in cases where companies hire employees).

The information in the system would 43

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be accessible in real time. This would significantly promote a transparent economy and a higher quality of work, as well as better protection of consumers, employees, the environment and our society. Recording working times and declaring the work objects will decrease the number of disputes over payments between an employee and an employer, as well as between a customer and a service provider (because factual evidence will be registered). Public authorities will identify unsafe and dangerous working environments for employees in a quicker and more precise manner, resulting in reduction of the risk of accidents at work.

As for the technical implementation of

DALIUS GEDVILAS, President of the Lithuanian Construction Association

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the card, a public procurement must be organised just like what happens in the introduction of any other system. This would be a joint public tender procedure, so that everyone could submit tenders for the technical implementation.

The concept of the introduction of the card has already been presented before the tripartite council which was held in May, and particular decisions should be made, as well as steps towards the drafting of legal acts and the practical preparation stage, after introducing it at the meeting of the government in June. In light of the public procurement procedures and amendments to the legislation, we would hope that the builder ID cards should be issued to

everyone who wishes to receive them, where the initial stage would start at the end of the third quarter of 2020 or the start of the fourth quarter of 2020.

Later on, in 2023, we will offer certain changes in the second stage of the public procurement planning, just as it works in Oslo, so that the provision of construction services to public entities would give an dditional stimulus for the registration of the qualifications of some employees in the builder ID system, and an incentive for the involvement of apprentices. However, this would be applicable only to the entities participating in the public procurement.

Thus, the acquisition of qualifications and the engagement of apprentices for carrying out work in public projects would be promoted.

The Lithuanian Construction Association has developed the STATREG system over a period of three years, and is seeking for the introduction of the mandatory builder card which would change the situation in the construction market of our country. All information on the employee necessary for the employer is listed in the card. It specifies the working time record, the workplace, confirmation of the acquired competences, as well as the accounting of the tools and materials that have been used. The working time and place recording function, which is available in the card, shows if a person is legally working at the construction sites. For the purposes of the registration of the certificate of acceptance of construction works, deeming them as fit for use, the data provided by the system would allow us to analyse how many persons worked in the construction of the building, and a report of the registration every day would be accessible to the control authorities.

Furthermore, the Court of Justice of the European Union has adopted a judgement indicating that all EU employers must record the working times of their employees in detail. The builder

(STATREG) card, with the most modern working time recording function, enables this to be done.

The card also has an interface with the register of competences, in which information on the skills and competences of the employee, and the tools and materials they have used, is collected. This means that the builder (STATREG) card shows if a person is sufficiently competent to carry out one or another work project in a high quality manner, as well as if he has passed an examination and has knowledge about occupational safety. Besides this, we may not allow the persons who are not aware of the occupational safety requirements to work; thus, accidents in construction will be avoided.

It should be noted that the persons often expressing their views in the press have wrongly stated that even those persons carrying out work at the domestic level must have the builder card. The Association has pointed out that the builder (STATREG) card should be used only in construction sites for which a construction permit is issued.

With the aim of making the construction sector more transparent, not only should an IT register be created and 56

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competence evaluation experts gathered and trained on the work that has already been carried out by the Association, but the card should also be made mandatory at all construction sites. The builder cards are already being issued almost every day; however, the process would take place quicker if the public authorities started to deal with the issues of related to the liquidation of the shadow economy in the construction market. A legal act obliging workers to have the builder (STATREG) competence card as of 1 January 2020 would drastically change the situation in Lithuania.

The card has the same functionalities as our parking systems. Thus, the question of whether the builder card would really helped to deal with the shadow economy problem can be answered by asking the question "do the parking applications that have been created, and which are available on the smart phones of the majority of drivers, reduce disorder in the streets of Vilnius and Kaunas?"

According to the data available to the Research and Higher Education

Monitoring and Analysis Centre, the mandatory builder card has been introduced in such countries as Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy and Belgium. In the majority of the European Union Member States, the issuing of the competence cards is administered by the Construction Association. Only two of the richer countries in Europe, namely Norway and Luxembourg, have delegated the administration of the card system to the Labour Inspectorate.

However, the systems of these two aforementioned countries have no competence evaluation functions and other integrations.

The Lithuanian Construction Association (LCA) is a member of the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC); thus, for the purposes of the creation of the STATREG register, we have relied on the best practices of as many as 14 states. In addition, a major part of the members of our association work in the Scandinavian market and have shared their experiences with us.

The state could never bring a team of

We have been engaged in our activities in Scandinavia for ten years. Every person working in the construction sector in Sweden and Norway must have a personal ID06 card issued in the name of the company in which the employee is employed. The card is necessary for the identification of the employee, in order to enter any construction object. During the current digitalisation period, this is an inevitable civilised way of information management that is changing the manual work of entering data. The data managed by the cards may be used by the different authorities concerned, such as the Tax

experts together and maintain them, when the change in the construction technologies is so dynamic. On 18 April 2019, 11 associations acting in the construction sector approved the distribution of the builder (STATREG) card and signed a resolution.

According to Jurga SubačiūtėŽemaitienė, Chairwoman of the Construction Trade Union, the STATREG register created by the Lithuanian Construction Association (LCA) is a huge breakthrough in the reduction of the shadow economy in the construction market, which is a move that has been awaited by the trade unions. The system operates and may deal with the longstanding illegal work problem that exists today.

"It is no longer necessary to invest taxpayer funds, and to create additional jobs in the state apparatus, as this instrument may be used today and would allow the employees to earn officially.

Only the political will to carry out real actions in the reduction of illegal work are necessary," pointed out J. SubačiūtėŽemaitienė.

Inspectorate, trade unions, etc., and companies may digitalise the accounting of their work. Thus, objective information on what companies are working, what projects they are working on, and what people are involved is obtained in a more clear and transparent manner. We believe that these builder cards are inevitable in the future, and we support the initiative of the Lithuanian Construction Association to introduce a similar system in Lithuania.

AUDRIUS TULABA, General Manager of INHUS Group 45

architecture

Trademark of the Intern Hotel Network in Vilniu Kristina BUIDOVAITÄ– Although the globally recognised Hilton Garden Inn hotel chain is easily identifiable in Lithuania, it is even becoming more democratic and more daring. The architects of the company Jurta architektai, which has designed the interior spaces of the hotel, not only the matched the particularly high level of requirements but also sought for exceptional ideas for the interior so that it would not look boring and faceless, and at the same time would represent Lithuania in a modern manner.

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national us

Allusions to Vilnius prevail in the interior First of all, the Hilton Garden Inn is a home away from home for the city's guests. Here, they expect the Hilton comfort and aesthetics that are already familiar to them. The arrangement of the spaces and the functions and the meanings of the signs are clear. On the other hand, the hotel is a space that enables us to present our own city, its history and its unique features. Several Baltic elements and ornamentation cues appear in the interior.

The city is its streets, marketplaces, squares, parks... "We subtly allowed such elements to enter the internal spaces of the building, i.e. the lobby Garden Lounge) is like a green avenue of the city, which allows for a freely arranged space for sitting around the fireplace, and switches to a variegated, lively marketplace space (Tymas Market) with a bar and restaurant.

The rhythmic lighting of the long corridor connecting the lobby of the hotel and the conference rooms will remind you of the arcades of Vilnius University, and the reserved colours of the conference rooms were inspired by the monumental, monochromatic Cathedral Square."

This is how the architects described the concepts for the interior of the common spaces in the Hilton Garden Inn. Natural, organic local materials, i.e. hardwood, stone, brass and ceramics, prevail in the interior.

The designer Nona Kondrotas told us that when designing the interior of the hotel, she had to accept the strict Hilton technical and functional requirements.

One such requirement was a small snack shop on the ground floor of the hotel near the entrance with obligatory rough surface flooring, for which a decorative effect was achieved by inserting brass strips and Baltic ornaments.

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The architects call the oak pipe installation in the conference lounge ‘pan pipes’. Photo credit: Evgenia Levin

Baltic elements have found their place An installation decorating the ceiling of the reception desk of the hotel was inspired by the sacral straw roofs typical of Lithuanian and other neighbouring regions.

The decor of the conference rooms includes photos of archeological findings from Eastern Lithuania. Therefore, the three conference rooms in the hotel were named after the Baltic tribes.

"Tide" carpeting created by the British designer Tom Dixon was used in the conference rooms and the spacious waiting room. It will remind you of the empty Baltic beaches after a storm.

The designers of the interior immediately saw the wall of the long conference corridor as a place where the works of Lithuania artists could be exhibited.

Thus, the "Trip" (Kelionė) graphic works

by Aistė Jurga Krasauskaitė were chosen. The decorative ceramics of the artist also found a place in the bar and the restaurant, on the tracery shelves dividing the space into functional areas.

The architects refer to the installation of

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oak pipes in the waiting room as "pan pipes" and the 1.2 m diameter round butcher stone fireplace as a pagan altar.

"Nevertheless, we made efforts to ensure that the Lithuanian interior of the hotel did not become Saint Casimir's Fair," commented the architects.

According to the interior architect, the brass chosen for finishing the tiles and the lighting installations is an expensive and capricious material that responds to the environment. More than one kilometre of brass strips covered with a special coating to protect against metal oxidation were used in the hotel.

The three conference rooms are separated by sliding segments and acoustic partitions. They can be easily drawn together into niches, or the rooms can be made into a spacious area for larger events.

The oak parquet flooring in the restaurant is arranged in 1.8 x 1.8 m squares, framed by the same brass strips. The parquet flooring was fitted by "wrapping"

it just like to a ball of wool, from the longest external edge to the centre.

The fire safety standards required that the wood covering was of a low level of combustibility. Eventually, such a covering was found in France.

The integrated furniture was manufactured in Lithuania, according to a special order. The easily fitted soft furniture was purchased from famous European manufacturers, i.e. the furniture includes works by the most famous designers in the world.

The surfaces of the bar, reception desk and breakfast serving tables in the restaurant are made of quartz ceramic.

All the skirting boards of the public spaces were cut from the same material in several colours in a 5 mm thickness.

Another original solution was the wall brass luminaires in the lobby. They frame the doors of the elevators like long medieval torches at the gates of a castle.

It is combination of standard and free design The architect Povilas Čepaitis, who designed the rooms of the Hilton Garden Inn international hotel chain, pointed out to Statyba ir architektūra that he needed to coordinate the slightest details such as the sizes of the rooms, the common spaces, seats in the restaurant and conference centre, etc., with the managers of the hotel. Nevertheless, according to Mr Čepaitis, the architects were successful, i.e. they could find ways of complying with the requirements while also complying with the identifiable style of the global hotel network. Hilton Garden Inn hotels are characterised by room interiors designed according to the brand's standards, and interiors of the common spaces that are designed in each country individually. In the course of designing Hilton Garden Inn in Lithuania, the client suddenly decided to revise the standard requirements; thus, the first Hilton Garden Inn in Lithuania was

designed by deviating from the brand's standards in force at that time. A fully open cloakroom is the first innovation in the LIVE SQUARE hotel complex . Furthermore, the architects used a significantly larger quantity of wood than is usual in the standard design. The paintings on the walls, which typically include views of nature, were replaced by photos and graphic works showing nature, gardens and parks.

The team of architects for the interior of the common spaces includes (in alphabetical order): Monika Akromė, Rūta Goštautienė, Nona Kondrotas and Deimantė Narbutaitė.

The multi-functional complex of the Hilton Garden Inn on Vilniaus Gedimino Avenue was designed by a team from the architectural office Unitectus, i.e. the architects were Tauras Paulauskas, Dainius Čepurna, Povilas Čepaitis, Žilvinas Urbas, Giedrius Stogis, Ieva Noreikaitė and Linda Šeženytė.

Common space interior architect team (in alphabetical order): Monika Akromė, Rūta Goštautienė, Nona Kondrotas, Deimantė Narbutaitė.

Team from the Unitectus architecture firm that designed the multifunctional complex with the Hilton Garden Inn hotel on Vilnius’s Gediminas Avenue: architects Tauras Paulauskas, Dainius Čepurna, Povilas Čepaitis, Žilvinas Urbas, Giedrius Stogis, Ieva Noreikaitė ir Linda Šeženytė.

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architecture

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Norbert Tukaj has two professions: architect and photographer. He considers them to be of equal importance. It was only after he finished his studies that he started to specialise in photography, and he recently attended a lecture organised by the publishing house Lapas as one of the authors of a book, i.e. a guide to the architecture of Vilnius and Kaunas, which has become a bestseller. The fact that books about architecture are particularly popular among readers alone suggests that people are interested in architecture and the history of buildings. How does Norbert discloses these facts and why does he find them important?

When did you start taking photos of architecture and why?

First of all, I am a professional architect.

During my architectural practice, I started to be more engaged in photography and I wanted to understand it. I am curious by nature, and if I have an interest in some area which is unknown to me or that I don't know anything about, I dive into it headfirst. The same thing happened with photography. My professional skills and experience determine the choice of objects and, of course, I can see the architecture. My eye absorbs buildings or spaces in different contexts, as I am looking for the essence of what the author wanted to say with the solution.

Initially, taking photos of architecture was intuitive; for instance, when taking photos of a moment at an event I would compositionally include the space or the building in which the people had gathered for the photo. In a sense, my eyes are always first focussed on the architecture and all the other details are kind of just filler, i.e. I see the context and the life in such a space as the background.

I needed six years of practice for photography to become not just my hobby but sort of a second profession.

What is the main task formulated by your architectural colleagues, or do you formulate it by yourself because they trust you? Or maybe sometimes you have to argue with them or discuss things?

In 99 percent of cases, I determine the scope of the photos by myself and convince the architects of my ideas.

When you see the result, it speaks for itself. Thus, my self-confidence has naturally developed. At the start of the process I always try to discuss the project with the author, listen to his ideas and consider the imaginary result, which determines where we should put the emphases, and what light or angles will help to best disclose the architect's ideas. We share our insights. Architects can help us to understand the building and its history, why it appears as it does and is not different, much quicker. And the story is very fascinating.

Have you ever taken photos according to orders, or had the possibility to choose the objects by yourself?

What did you want to disclose through your photos of architectural objects?

Are they more intended for your colleagues or the general public?

The first time I took photos of architecture was the result of an order and at the same time a trial. At that time, I had recently finished my architecture studies.

I documented drawings and layouts of the architectural designs for one month. But during that month I did not understand that I had to concentrate on the photography of the architecture.

Architecture photography is specific, since there are certain rules. Of course, there are some exceptions. However, I personally like the photos to tell a multifaceted story. I believe that all buildings are interesting when you disclose their different stories, i.e. in different lighting, during an event, on a working day and on the weekend these are different faces,

and such faces reveal what the building really is as a whole. Professionals may like some stories and the public may like other stories; thus, such stories as a whole generate the interest of a larger audience.

Why, in your opinion, it is important to take photos of city spaces and the buildings in them?

City spaces are constantly changing and, in a historical context, the photography that tells the earlier history and the current history of a city space is most intriguing. The same can be said about the buildings, i.e. while the building exists, the photograph is less interesting, but when the building does not exist any longer, the value of the photograph becomes bigger.

How the architectural character of the buildings conveyed in photos?

The best way is to document the different moments of a building to tell a multifaceted story. The best moments are not necessarily based on canons and cannot be foreseen. It is necessary to come to terms with the building, to wait, to notice and then to record.

How you react to the context of time?

Do building have to be in line with the spirit of the times?

Do you imagine the urban context in which the buildings existed at that time when taking photos of buildings that were designed earlier and try to disclose this, or do you simply record it by taking the photos?

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Photo credit Norbert Tukaj.

This depends on the purpose. Of course, you cannot see the earlier situation if you do not know how it was. If the object is already in some photos, and the environment that existed earlier and the historical photo can be compared with a photo of today, then yes, the earlier context and the present context are important, as it is important how it has changed and why.

If the photos do not have to reflect the earlier existence of the building, I respond to factors affecting the existing situation. And, of course, the context might have changed over time, so that it is impossible to take the same photos from the same point of view.

Thus, the aim suggests the objective and chosen means.

How do you reveal the urban context?

It depends on the scale of the urban context of the building that the photos are being taken of. This may be a perimeter, an exceptional feature of the block, district or an insight into the character of the city.

Thus, I might move closer to the building or further from the building accordingly, if a disclosure of the urban context influences the history of the building.

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Do you try to express emotions in your photos by the use of light, details and the surrounding, or you try more to disclose the architect's idea (facades, urban environment) as precisely as possible?

Yes, everything matters and light is the most important. Photography is only a means of disclosing the perspective of the person taking the photos, as they show how he sees it and what he emphasises. I personally try to convey the stories of the building in an urban context, so I start to take photos from far away and gradually approach closer to the building.

What is the different between the perspective of an architect taking photos and the perspective of a professional photographer?

I would like to clarify that I am already a professional in this area, and I allocate 100 percent of my time and thoughts to it. Thus, I wouldn't compare photographers who have an architectural education and practice to photographers without such education and practice. The difference depends on both the personal character of the person and the number of years the photographer has been

familiar with architecture. Generally, the difference is evident because architecture and space may be easier understood by a person with architectural experience who has designed and implemented a project.

Has the lecture "Histories of Buildings. Was-Is-Will-(Not)-Be" in the M. MaĹžvydas Library attracted the attention of your colleagues? Or are you oriented to an audience from different professions?

During the lecture, I presented the material related to two guides to the architecture of Vilnius and Kaunas by the publishing house Lapas. Yes, it seems the audience were interested.

Around 100 people came and listened to the stories. I did not expect such interest and, indeed, I was very pleased.

I focussed on the audience who enjoys the stories of the buildings and how I see them to be interesting. Of course, after the lecture, a lot of persons asked technical questions, and about my routine before taking such a photo which is released to the public. I have realised that this could be a topic for my next lecture, which may take place this year.

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construction

The Hour of Popularity for

Alternative Construction Materials Has Not Yet Arrived Vida KUZMICKAITÄ– Today, we are increasingly talking about innovative materials as alternatives to traditional solutions in the construction market. The same applies to composite materials, i.e. carbon and glass fibre structures. These innovative, sustainable structures are already quite widely applied in America, Western Europe and some central Europe countries, but it seems that Lithuanian designers are still afraid of them.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF COMPOSITIVE MATERIALS Head of the Research Laboratory of Innovative Building Structures of Vilnius Gediminas Technology University (VGTU), Dr Viktoras Gribniakas, explained that a composite material is a polymer, the basis of which is glass, carbon, aramid or basalt fibres. Plates and profiles made of this material are used in construction projects. These composite materials are good alteratives to traditional materials, i.e. metal, wood and reinforced concrete.

According to Dr V. Gribniakas, composite materials are particularly lightweight, flexible and are characterised by high strength. They do not require much maintenance, are characterised by durability, are insulating and are applied in construction projects for the reinforcement of different structures.

Composite materials have been applied

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in the aviation, automotive and fuel industry from the outset. Although they are already integrated in the construction of bridges, overpasses, tunnels and ports today, a conservative approach nevertheless prevails in the market, with engineers often choosing traditional solutions.

Gintautas SkripkiĹŤnas, Associate Professor in the Department of Building Materials and Fire Safety at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, who analyses the different potentials for the practical application of glass, carbon and concrete reinforced by polymer fibres, also agrees with this assessment. The professor pointed out that the reinforcement of concrete by fibres results in an increase in its tensile strength; thus, it may be used in bending structures, i.e. the composite material

withstands high loads and does not break down. It should be noted that the use of composite materials allows thinner structures to be produced that are both durable and resistant to corrosion in different environmental conditions. Thus, these materials may be used for the construction of different facades.

Sustainable construction and ecology are the trends of today and tomorrow.

These trends are also reflected in composite materials, which may be referred to as organic materials due to the long duration of their operation that does not require any additional costs.

Nevertheless, scientists have noted that it is important is to properly design and adapt the materials, and to understand the different nuances of construction which are not properly regulated yet.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES ARE NOT PROPERLY REGULATED According to Dr V. Gribniakas, the main reason why alternative carbon and glass fibres are not popular in this country is that there are no regulatory documents governing the design processes in place.

No legal framework has been prepared not only in Lithuania but also throughout Europe, where the creation of regulatory documents is only starting.

"If such a trend prevailed in the automotive industry, people would probably still by travelling by locomotive," smiled Dr V. Gribniauskas, who also added that it is particularly important not only to accelerate the international regulation processes, but also to educate specialists and engineers about innovative materials and their practical applications in construction as much as possible.

construction

Various industrial companies and universities have also contributed to the testing of materials and the establishment of new materials in the market. Research in this field is carried out by the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in cooperation with foreign colleagues. Very intensive research is also carried out in the USA; while the researchers of the Czech Republic are the most active in Europe.

Prof. G. SkripkiĹŤnas noted that composite materials are already used in construction, but they are not popular due to their higher price and practical applications are not always possible.

Composite materials may not be suitable for every structure: for example, effective lightweight structures are not appropriate for our climate zone due to their poor insulating characteristics and low thermal inertia. Thus, expressive facades made of complex thinner elements with more glass are still rarities in Lithuania, where their operation costs are high.

Nevertheless, it should be emphasised that today, the construction industry is switching to structures that are manufactured in industrial companies and assembled only at the construction sites, thereby seeking to decrease the work costs. Prefabricated structural elements are being used more often in construction sites, where monolithic concrete and plaster which is mixed in the construction site are often refused.

Attempts are also being made to automate all production, assembly and operation processes. Thus, the tendency to choose quick, innovative solutions will gradually determine a greater need for durable composite materials and their practical use in construction projects.

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Public Procurement in Architecture: Benefit or Problem?

Rūta ANUSEVIČIENĖ

In recent years, more and more public tenders have been published in the architecture field, where both young architects who have just started their work and architects who are well-known in the international arena can present their ideas. According to the experts, these tenders have raised the quality benchmark and although there is a long path from the public procurement to the successful implementation of projects, the benefits of the agricultural tenders are obvious. Nevertheless, at the same time a lot of gaps in the legislation, descriptions of the tender procedures, etc., have been identified.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN PURCHASING BALLPOINTS AND INTELLECTUAL SERVICES? According to Mindaugas Pakalnis, the leading architect of Vilnius, the public procurement procedure which has been in force until now does not allow for organising tender procedures in a more high quality and more appropriate

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manner. As a rule, the conditions of public procurements are worded in a rather intricate manner and are full of formalities. The expert noted that some procurement procedures and rules are described with too many details. Only the most important information, i.e. the time limits of the tender procedure, the ways of presenting the works and the necessary qualifications of the tenderers, should be detailed in the descriptions of the main conditions of a public

procurement. Generally, the conditions of the tender procedures should be worded so that the architectural quality is maintained without breaching the provisions of the general procurements.

All tender procedures taking place in Lithuania consist of one stage, but all tender procedures taking place abroad usually consist of two stages. During the first stage, the conceptual designs are presented, and the commission then selects the 10–20 best and most

interesting projects. In the second stage, high quality, thoroughly analysed designs are prepared. In Lithuania, the public procurements are not adapted to a two-stage tender procedure, and for this reason alone, a lot of companies refuse to participate in the tender procedures.

Another relevant problem is that the public procurement laws are adapted not for procurement of intellectual services, but for all procurements in general: "I believe that this is one of the most evident problems, since in the Western countries with more practice in intellectual services, these types of procurement are subject to other laws and rules. It is one thing is to purchase ballpoints or chairs (in this case, it is easy to compare the prices of the goods) and quite another thing to purchase architectural designs," the architect Aurimas Sasnauskas assured us.

IMPERFECT FEEDBACK AND RATING SYSTEMS According to the legal acts in force, the architectural tender evaluation commission must describe every submitted design and justify the reasons for a rejection. For example, after publishing a tender procedure for the National Concert Hall (Home of the Nation) on Tauras Hill, 248 works were presented (by comparison, after the first stage, about 160 designs of a poorer quality were rejected). According to M. Pakalnis, it is simply impossible to prepare several hundred reviews during a short period of time: "The same amount of attention should be paid to everyone, and they should all be equally evaluated but the results do not rewards these efforts. Reviews could be prepared for the 'last stage' works, but writing feedback on all such designs presented for such huge tender procedures, and delivering an analysis of all the works would be too demanding a task."

All the works in a public procurement are rated, then the arithmetic average is derived. According to A. Sasnauskas, the human factor is often involved; thus, the final result does not necessarily reflect the real situation: "Say, for instance, one member of the commission does not like some element and he gives the lowest points to a particular work; thus, a good work falls within the category of medium works. The mathematics is not always correct."

CHOOSING THE CHEAPEST DESIGN IS ALSO A FLAWED PRACTICE Examples in recent years suggest that the cheapest design is not always the best design. A decision on purchasing design services at the cheapest price is an insidious practice. According to M. Pakalnis, if a poor design is purchased, a poor building is finally built. The leading architect in Vilnius recalled the design of the PilaitÄ— school, which was purchased at the lowest offered price. The design had a lot of flaws, and eventually, the project was suspended and a search for new architects was conducted. The second time, after organising a tender procedure, 18 really strong works were presented.

Another similar case is Balsiai Progymnasium: after choosing the respective architects, a school reminiscent of a farm building was designed, but this design was also dismissed. Finally, it was decided to organise a tender procedure and after it was conducted, the design of a beautiful and functional progymnasium was prepared. The organisers of tender procedures are more and more often realising that they do not need to select a poor design at the lowest price, but they should choose them at a reasonable price while also meeting their expectations. The experience of Vilnius has shown that if design is offered at a significantly cheaper price, the design will be completely inadequate.

M. Pakalnis pointed out that the architects offering the lowest price often lack rudimentary knowledge and competence, and the price of the building may actually become disproportionately high: "Where the cheapest designs are chosen, the designers must be taught things which should be known to a second or third year architecture student: what is important when designing a structure, how to understand the urban environment, how to read the context, etc. And that's not to speak about the interior of the building. Then, exactly the same problems are reported by the construction contractors and the customers themselves. Therefore, a house designed at a very cheap price

architecture

Examples in recent years suggest that the cheapest design is not always the best design. may become very expensive; one should also think about this. A more expensive design of a higher quality with, later on, a cheaper but more orderly building, is better than a cheap design and an unclear final result."

Nevertheless, one of the possibilities is to draw from the experience of other countries where, when organising architectural tender procedures, the minimum price that may be offered by the applicants is set by taking the market into account. "Of course, it is important that the price is logical and adequate.

For example, if it is indicated that 5 percent of the total value of the estimate will be allocated for the design of the construction work, the majority of foreign architects would not even participate in the tender procedure," maintains A. Sasnauskas.

According to the experts, when deciding on the amount of an investment in the design of the construction work, the customers should take into account the significance of the object being constructed. For example, the National Concert Hall is one of the symbols of the city and the country, and the price in the total estimate of the work was rather low in the design stage.

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A FLOOD OF IDEAS AND THE POSSIBILITY FOR YOUNG ARCHITECTS TO SHINE A tender procedure is a very good tool for choosing the best designers. The main advantage of tender procedures in agriculture is that a lot of ideas are received; thus, the most attractive ideas can be chosen. If a work from one architect is ordered, he puts forward 1–2 ideas and anything from several to several hundred design versions are submitted in the tender procedures.

"We also receive an analysis of the place alongside the architectural tenders.

Different versions are submitted and analysed, so one can see what is effective and what is not effective in designing that particular object. For

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We also receive an analysis of the place alongside the architectural tenders. Different versions are submitted and analysed, so one can see what is effective and what is not effective in designing that particular object. For example, nice projects may be provided but they may be not appropriate to the location; therefore, they are immediately dismissed.

Aurimas Sasnauskas

architecture

example, nice projects may be provided but they may be not appropriate to the location; therefore, they are immediately dismissed," said the architect A. Sasnauskas.

According to the specialist, the tender procedures in agriculture is a perfect possibility for younger, less experienced but very talented architects to be given orders. The architect indicated that the anonymity of the author before publishing the winners of the tender procedure is one of the advantages of the public procurement: "If the authors are unknown, we evaluate works in one way; and if we know the authors, we evaluate the works in another way.

Anonymity allows the design to be evaluated in a more objective manner.

The commission evaluates not the name but the work itself, and this is a great advantage."

THE NUMBER OF GOOD RESULTS IS INCREASINGLY GROWING The aforementioned designs of Pilaitė School and Balsiai Progymnasium are two of the most successful examples where the questionable quality of the first designs was noticed, and high quality buildings were finally designed.

Another project of national significance, i.e. the tender procedure for the House of the Nation, was organised together with the International Union of Architects according to the tender organisation rules approved by UNESCO. Some members of the commissions designed much larger halls, and particularly significant objects; thus, their remarks were really valuable and helped us to choose the best work.

The tender procedure for the footbridge across the Neris River in Vilnius that

was organised in cooperation with the Lithuanian Union of Architects should also be mentioned as one of the best examples. It is expected that the new tender procedures for the design of the reconstructed footbridge near the Seimas and Vokiečių Street will also be classified as among the best examples.

The tender procedures for agriculture projects are also being successfully organised in other cities. In 2018, the successful agricultural tender procedures for the footbridges across the Nemunas River in Kaunas were held, and the public institution Jūrininkų sveikatos priežiūros centras in Klaipėda was chosen.

The experts have noted that a positive practice in the organisation of architectural tender procedures has gradually taken place: tender procedures are now being organised for important, visible and significant projects.

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Continental Automotive Lithuania: attention to the environment and sustainability The Continental Automotive Lithuania electronics plant was built and prepared for the company’s production processes only 15 months after the foundation excavation work started, in July last year. It is the largest greenfield foreign capital investment in Lithuania so far; thus, it is not surprising that the opening of this electronics plant was identified by government representatives, partners and contractors as a historical event for Lithuania.

MORE THAN ONE SELECTION CRITERIA The plant built in Kaunas has become a benchmark project for other Continental construction designs throughout the globe. The experiences acquired during the project have already been applied to other new Continental plants in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and in Debrecen, Hungary. The plant situated in Kaunas is distinctive due to the most modern technical cleanliness conditions and it meets the highest standards of the automotive industry. Besides this, the plant was designed and built while paying special attention to the environment and sustainability. This is the first design of a Continental Automotive plant to which the internationally recognised golden LEED certificate for the employment of sustainable solutions has been granted.

In this project, the design and the management work were entrusted to the Baltic Engineers company that has 17 years of experience and which complied with the local construction technical regulations and with the LEED, FM Global and the German VDI, VDS 60

standards to ensure sustainability and the highest quality work in the course of the design and construction. After all, the design and the construction work had to be organised without exceeding the foreseen budget, which required additional effort and time. In the effort to create an exceptional high-tech industrial complex, all the solutions had to be repeatedly verified, some solutions had to be revised, and non-standard, innovative solutions needed to be sought.

The planning of the new plant reflects the modern approach, where considerable attention is paid to the comfort and well-being of the employees.

One of the projects involved the offices for employees: the offices of the large area are characterised by high quality and modern interiors, i.e. meeting rooms for video conferencing, green walls, a space for sports with a multi-functional gym, a yard with greenery and a training area. Sheds for bicycles and mopeds were designed in accordance with the LEED requirements. Power recharging

points for electric vehicles were fitted for the employees.

The application of natural light involved the calculation and employment of a BIM model, so that natural lighting was ensured in more than 80 percent of the office premises. Such a solution maintains the natural human circadian rhythm, allowing people to feel good and at the same time reducing the electricity costs.

The design of the plant and the implementation of the design were entrusted to the specialists at Baltic Engineers and was awarded the LEED Gold certificate, i.e. this is the first manufacturing facility to be awarded with a certificate of such a high level.

The certificate provides evidence that sustainability was sought according to the most recent version of LEED certification, which has made it even more difficult to receive the Gold rating than before. Currently, only the preliminary LEED Gold certificate for the design of the building has been received. But soon the building itself will

be audited and, in the case of success, certified and finished.

Darius Kvedaras, Manager of the Baltic Engineers company, has pointed out that, first of all, the decision to seek the LEED Gold standard implies particularly high requirements for the quality of the materials used in the building and territory, and even their colours.

For example, the roof of the building and the majority of the covering materials on the parcel of land are of a white or grey colour.

The materials used in the object had to meet the requirements of the EPD and HPD standards. Our interlocutor acknowledged that it was a real challenge to find materials with such certificates, since the materials prevailing in Europe do not meet the requirements of a more sophisticated version of LEED. Innovation credits were implemented in the design, where one of the most interesting solutions, i.e. bird collision deterrence, resulted in a bird-friendly building design. In the course of the design, all vertical partitions in the parcel of land were calculated, corner glass was excluded and the glass reflectance characteristics were evaluated; therefore, the design was revised to mitigate the risk of birds crashing into the buildings or fences.

Strict LEED requirements were complied with in the course of the construction, for example, in the land management plan

(ESC plan), the wheels of all vehicles leaving the territory had to be washed, and an additional wall was erected around the parcel of land to prevent soil moving into the neighbouring land.

The amount of waste generated in the construction site was supervised during the whole construction process, as required by the LEED standard that specifies the sorting of all types of waste.

An indoor air quality plan was developed for the work carried out in the building, according to the LEED requirements and one of the requirements significantly impeded the work of the builders because all the equipment used in the building needed to be only electrical.

RELIABLE PARTNERS WERE CHOSEN The team at the Baltic Engineers company has been evaluated in the market as a team which is perfectly aware of the international LEED and BREEAM environmental standards, is skilled in the use of digital BIM tools in its daily work and ensures the project management quality meets the ISO standards. All the aforementioned criteria, when combined as a whole, will guarantee that the plant is at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

success story "Devotion, a commitment to achieve the objectives and a willingness to implement this ambitious object have been of particular importance to the customer in choosing the project partners. The time limits were particularly short, but we were determined to implement the project. It was important that we absorbed the modern design and design management measures and methods, that we had experience of working in the BIM environment and that the team could communicate fluently in English.

When choosing the parties to work with, the representatives of Continental even visited our office in order to evaluate the prevailing working environment, the interior, the style of communication of the team, etc.," commented D. Kvedaras, Manager of Baltic Engineers.

The customers knew immediately that they wanted intentional services; thus, it chose the EPCM (Engineering Procurement Construction Management) model. Furthermore, all the integrated services had to be ensured by one company. Thus, Baltic Engineers brought two separate teams to the project. One team for the design and one team for the project management.

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ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY SOLUTIONS FOR THE PLANT AND OFFICES A sophisticated heat and cold production and distribution system has been designed and installed for the heating and cooling needs of the building.

The whole production system has been installed in a separate technical building and the distribution equipment is installed in a special room of the main building.

A gas-fired combined heat and power plant, which generates electricity by combusting gas and uses the heat generated during this process for heating the building, has been designed for the heating requirements in the main building. The electric power of the cogenerator is 1 MW and the thermal power is 1.2 MW. To cover the peak heating needs, two gas boilers with a power of 1 NW have been designed.

The heat production scheme is closely related to the cooling production. The cogenerator's heat, outside of the season requiring heating, is transmitted to the machine which transforms the heat into a cooling system at particularly low electricity costs. The cold machine produces 750 kW of cool air using only 8 kW of electric power. Thus, the cogenerator operates without stopping throughout the year and ensures a continuous electricity supply for both heat and cold.

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Two additional compressor plants with cooling towers were designed and installed on the roof of the technical building to cover the peak cooling needs.

The highest microclimate requirements were set for the production shop, in which the temperature, moisture and level of dust must all be strictly controlled. To ensure the microclimate in the shop, 7 ventilation systems whose total amount of air measures nearly 500 thousand m3/h were designed and installed. All the equipment was installed on the roof of the building, which was a major challenge not only to the HVAC designers but also to the structural designers, as the equipment weighs around 100 tonnes.

The microclimate of the offices was also subject to high requirements. According to the requirements of the Lithuanian hygiene standards, the USA design standards ASHRAE and LEED, four separate main office ventilation systems were designed. The amount of air in the premises is controlled according to CO2 level sensors: more air is supplied if the occupancy of the premises is higher; whereas less air is supplied if the number of people in the premises becomes lower.

success story EXPENSIVE MISTAKES WERE AVOIDED In the implementation of the Continental project, Baltic Engineers used BIM during the whole design and construction process. First of all, the BIM plan was prepared in cooperation with the customer, taking into account its needs and the possibilities. In order to ensure the accuracy and quality of the BIM model, regular and systemic 3D laser scanning was carried out in the course of the construction. A laser point cloud of each device or structure was constantly compared with the drawings and the layout.

"The customer wanted to have not only a simple 3D model and two-dimensional drawings, but also a 3D layout which matched the real situation in the object from the very beginning. To this end, in the course of construction the building was scanned using 3D scanners.

The aforementioned data was then transferred to the modelling application.

The building layout includes the relevant geometry of the building systems, so the information related to the operation of the building was available immediately after opening the 3D model, and was developed on the basis of this," explained D. Kvedaras.

The employment of BIM allowed to the likelihood of mistakes to be minimised, ensuring a higher quality implementation of the project. BIM also helped the customer to better understand the final result, since he could virtually walk around the digital model and examine the spaces.

The team has successfully handled advanced tools, which allowed them to construct the plant of such a scale. For

example, the BIM building model helped to solve conflicts, and allowed different engineering calculations (natural and artificial lighting, air movement in the ventilation system. etc.) to be carried out in the early stages.

Augmented reality solutions were applied in the construction site, so that the participants in the construction could find the most recent spatial model of the design and compare it with the work being carried out at the site, on their mobile devices. It's not for nothing that the construction of the building has become a good example, not only for industrial constructions in Lithuania, but also for other Continental objects throughout the globe.

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Ruukki

Innovative Ruukki solutions for the Continental plant, which have not been used in Lithuania before now The modern buildings recently constructed in Lithuania are surprising others not only with impressive architectural solutions, but also with innovative and smart construction elements that ensure the building's durability and comfort for dwellers, and in particular, for employees.

Progressive companies have already invested not only in durable and reliable designs, but also in environmentallyfriendly and sustainable solutions.

Advanced Ruukki construction elements, which are well-known in the global market but have not yet been used in Lithuania, were chosen for construction of the Continental plant that opened its doors more than one month ago in Kaunas and was constructed in a record time, i.e. 15 months.

The installation scheme of the certified Rukki Forma system

SMART ROOF LOAD MEASUREMENT SYSTEM The new generation Ruukki Roof Sensor, roof load monitoring system, was installed in the building. The benefits of the Ruukki Roof Sensor system are particularly emphasized on large roof areas. In the winter, snow is unevenly

distributed on it, resulting in the risk of a roof fracture. Sensors are installed in the critical zones of the roof where dangerous snow accumulation may occur, as identified during the design phase.

The smart system records the snow load on the roof, which may be seen by the responsible persons who login to the sensor system in the local area network (LAN) or login via a mobile phone in real time. In cases of snow accumulation becoming too high, the sensors active the local LED signal and send a report to the responsible persons.

When the solution is used, there is no need to rely on unreliable or complex snow layer thickness measurements.

Furthermore, the smart system not only prevents hazardous situations but also helps to save costs, since the snow is removed only when it poses a threat.

Ruukki® life SPA Energy sandwich panels were chosen for the construction of the external walls of the Continental plant.

Ruukki® life SPA Energy sandwich panels were chosen for the construction of the external walls of the Continental plant.

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The building facade was finished by assimetrically perforated Liberta Elegant 500 cassettes.

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Gintarė Jakševičienė, Ruukki Products AS

SANDWICH PANELS MADE OF ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY MATERIALS Today, construction work is aimed not only at ensuring the functionality and convenience of the building, but also at ensuring a good environmental performance. It is even better if the construction elements are characterised by several features. For this reason, Ru ukki® life SPA Energy sandwich panels were chosen for the construction of the external walls of the Continental plant.

The requirements for energy efficiency and the tightness of the building, which have recently become more and more stringent, have resulted in the popularity of the Ruukki Energy special panel system. It was developed after long research studies and experiments on how to improve the tightness of partition panels. The system consists of special higher-tightness wall panels, assemblies, accessories, tightness instructions and employees with the respective qualifications who will turn all this into an integrated whole.

The panel system helps to save up to 20 percent of the funds needed for heating the building. This raises the value and the level of comfort of the building. This wall installation solution results in a higher building energy class and reduced pollution, since the heating requires less energy. Thus, not only money but also land resources are saved. The efficiency of the Energy system is also supported by a certificate issued by experts (tightness level n50 ≤ 0.3 l/h and q50≤1.0 l/h).

Besides this, the sandwich panels are characterised by a high load bearing capacity and fire resistance. The inner core of the panels is made of nonflammable, environmentally-friendly structural glass mineral wool. Thus, they may be reused or fully recycled. This is a perfect solution for buildings subject to high levels of sustainability requirements.

Furthermore, another new Ruukki® Rain Protect solution was adapted for the panels. The upper joint of the manufactured panels is covered with a special strap which protects them against rain in the course of the installation, even in adverse weather conditions.

Insufficient protection against rainfall in the construction site may break the dry product chain and the drying of materials leads to delays in the installation; thus, it is an expensive issue in terms of both time and money. This solution is a great help to construction companies because it excludes the additional covering of panels and avoids human error when arrangements are not made for the protection of materials. This solution ensures that the panels remain dry at all stages of the work, as required by the construction rules and regulations.

Also, the technical characteristics of the installed dry walls will meet the predicted design characteristics.

AN INNOVATIVE SYSTEM FOR ENSURING HEAT AND TIGHTNESS

aforementioned tight Ruukki® Energy sandwich panels that satisfy the bearing capacity and leak-tightness requirements.

The final appearance of the building facade was finished by Liberta Elegant 500 cassettes additionally fixed to the sandwich panels. In accordance with the architect's vision, some of them were assimetrically perforated.

This certified system is characterised by a load calculation methodology proven by testing and the installation instructions. Each part of the system is chosen by Ruukki specialists and the design progress consists of two parts. First, the sandwich panels are chosen for the facades. Then, the metal facade cladding and its fixing solutions were chosen to install on the top of the sandwich panels. In this particular case, Liberta Elegant 500 cassettes with hidden fixing were best suited for the purpose, and some of them were perforated.

Once the products where selected, the sandwich panels and the framework element layouts were prepared, and finally, the metal facade finishing plan was drawn up with all the necessary accessories for the installation of these products.

It should be noted that the metal finishing hung on the sandwich panels may weigh up to 50 kg/m2. Such a weight is distributed only on the external surface of the sandwich panel, and the panels are not drilled through.

The certified Ruukki Forma™ system ensures an effective construction. This is a complete wall structure system, where the external wall is formed of the

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success story

LEED gold laurels awarded to Continental plant project Aušra Narkeliūnienė Introduction Undoubtedly, the plant of the German corporation Continental is an object that is significant to the history of our state, and two Presidents of Lithuania visited the plant during the relatively short period of its construction. Namely, the outgoing President Dalia Grybauskaitė was present whan the first foundations of the plant were laid; and President Gitanas Nausėda was present at the opening of the plant.

NATIONAL PLANT The plant is not a new theatre and it is not even a new national stadium. However, the special attention of both Presidents to the object is justified by the important circumstances, i.e. this is one of the largest plants to be built in a greenfield site. In the place chosen for the territory of the plan, i.e. Kaunas FEZ, the development and the related creation of jobs have dealt with a lot of the social issues and particularly 66

such acute problems as migration.

"Continental chose Kaunas for several reasons: first, Kaunas is the main centre of industry, electronics and automation manufacturing in Lithuania. This modern region is abundant in highly qualified specialists, i.e. at least 10 percent of students study Electronics Engineering in Kaunas. Besides this, the region has an appropriate infrastructure. For these

reasons, Kaunas seemed to be the ideal place for our new plant," said Shayan Ali, Manager of the plant, in Lithuania during the open ceremony.

Of course, granting the status of a natural object to the plant is unusual. However, its meaning raises no doubts, as there is a new attitude towards employees who are not just hardworking cogs of the system, but are equal partners involved

success story

PROJECT INFORMATION: Customer: Continental Automotive Lithuania Project Manager and Designer: Baltic Engineers UAB Head of the Project: Vismantas Jakutis Project Architects: stART studio UAB, architecture, interior, environment management: Head of the Project – Architect Justina Narauskienė, Architects – Martynas Kamarauskas and Arvydas Skudra Landscape Design: Elė Kalvelė Engineering Systems: Baltic Engineers UAB Structure: Inhus UAB: General Contractor: Conresta UAB

in the development of the product. The working conditions created in the plant meet the highest standards. The plan of the plant suggests that of flexibly planned premises with conference rooms and a lot of common spaces, namely, a rest space, restaurant and an internal yard have been adapted to meet the leisure needs of the employees. According to the Manager of the plant S. Ali, "this plant was designed

and constructed with particular attention to the environment and sustainability. This is the first design of a Continental Automotive plant to which the internationally recognised golden LEED certificate for the employment of sustainable solutions has been granted". Healthy microclimate conditions, comfortable automated lighting in the workplaces, and cosy work and rest zones have been created for the

employees in this building.

The preparation of the design of the Continental plant was entrusted to a young but experienced team from the architectural office StART, run by the Architect Justina Narauskienė. The office was chosen by the main designer of the plant, i.e. Baltic Engineers, which had cooperated with the architects on several occasions in designing other objects.

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"I am glad to confirm that we have complied with the schedule of all the planned work of this design, and that Lithuania has satisfied all our expectations. We managed to accomplish the construction of the plant within 15 months, and set up a strong team of almost 200 specialists during the same period. This is really impressive."

Shayan Ali, Executive Dir DESIGN PROCESS REQUIRES CLOSE TEAMWORK The representatives of the plant also invested a considerable amount of time in the design process. "The customer's participation in all stages of the design was direct and continuous. During the entire design period, the Project Manager of Continental spent his time in Vilnius, Kaunas and in the central office of Continental in Frankfurt," said the Architect J. NarauskienÄ—. "The design stage was divided into sections, where each part was approved by the specialists and managers of Continental during creative workshops."

The stages of the architectural part of the design, the design proposals, the technical design and the work design lasted around 8–9 months. Constant teamwork and continuous negotiations for mutual actions and coordination in

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a 3D environment were carried out with the General Designer of the building, Baltic Engineers UAB. Thus, the design teams had to agree that the work must be carried out within such a short time limit, i. e. some of the design work was carried out in the course of the construction. "It was impossible to avoid corrections," J. NarauskienÄ— shared her experience.

"They were influenced by the optimisation of technological processes, as a prompt response to the customer's wishes.

Production and warehousing zones cover the largest part of the area; thus, we had to meet the technological requirements, the requirements of our colleague engineers and the fire safety regulations. We were able to offer more of our solutions for the administrative part of the building, which had to be met by the designers of the engineering systems."

The whole design team consisted of around 40 people, including four architects from StART studio, and the following consultants were also engaged: LEED consultants from Poland, i.e. Visio Architects, for the kitchen technologies the consultants of Gastro-projekt PL, FM Global, etc.

HIGH BENCHMARK Generally, the architectural expression of a plant does not receive considerable attention. What is important is to place all the equipment necessary for technological processes and engineering in a 'box' and ensure that the construction process is completed as quickly as possible.

Although a 'brandbook' straightjacket was created for the Continental plant, the architect has pointed out that they managed to achieve an exclusive and original expression, which was also evaluated by the management of the plant as exemplary in terms of the design of the administrative premises and the main facade.

"Yes, we had the so-called brandbook, which needed to be complied with by all the architects designing Continental.

The colour, shape, proportion solutions, and of course the quality requirements, were the most restricted. However, the customer was particularly open to new building design trends, with the modern

planning of internal spaces and interior solutions (currently, the Headquarters modern office building is being prepared in Hanover); thus, the benchmark set for us was relatively high.

Although the customer applies its corporative standards (colours, materials, shapes) and quality requirements for all his buildings, he accepted the architects' proposals concerning the main facade, where the main entrance is formed by a roof of an irregular shape with broken planes oriented towards the square, and the corporate colour was used. Moreover, the architects were absolutely free to interprete the Continental standards in the creation of the interior of the lounge and office spaces, and remained entirely at liberty to create the interior of the restaurant. "The customer clearly declared his position to create the maximum comfort for his employees. We have created internal yards for the use of the employees, which also significantly improve the work environment, with natural lighting in the open space offices," maintained the architect.

THE FACELESS 'BOX' IMAGE HAS BEEN AVOIDED The plant has been designed so that an innovative, integrating working environment oriented towards the future needs was created. "As colleagues, we competed with the strong design team of the Hungarian plant, and today we are happy to reveal that the solutions offered by us will be integrated in other new plants being constructed," said the architect.

The surrounding areas of the plant will not make you to feel as if you have arrived at to some typical 'technological box'. The project was developed as part of the Greenfield Investment Project; however, during the 8 months of design work and 15 months of construction work, the greenfield parcel has become a fully urbanised territory with a complex of buildings. This not only concerns the engineering infrastructure but also the social infrastructure, public functions, integrated

success story

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green territory, recreational and sport spaces. All of the internal planning of the parcel of land has not been done in isolation from the surrounding territory.

Connections to the cycling routes and bus routes of the city are planned, and the arranged square is an open common space for the dwellers of the surrounding areas.

IMPRESSIVE AMBITIONS According to the architect, precise terms of reference for the production and warehousing zones, as well as information on the technical capacity of the equipment and needs, planned employees, logistics and the vehicle flows were received. The design was carried out in accordance with the Continental standards book, the LEED Gold requirements for sustainability of the building, and the more stringent additional fire safety requirements of FM Global. The project and AsBuilt model of the building were created by virtue of the BIM design platform.

The flexible structures of the building are reinforced concrete columns and floor slabs and metal girders. The cover of the roof is made of reinforced concrete plates

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and a Ruukki profile tin deck. Sandwich type panels, which were also supplied by the representatives of the Finnish concern Ruukki in Lithuania, were used for the walls. The administrative block was built of blocks finished with Ruukki aluminium cassettes. Aluminium facade systems and windows (Reynaers), Clestra display partitions and Rigips plasterboard partitions.

The new plant is in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone, which currently covers a 22 thousand sq. m territory consisting of production, administrative and warehousing premises. All the construction work of the complex added around 23,000 m², so the total volume is about 200,000 m³; the height of the twostoreyed superstructure is about 17 m; and the energy class is A+. 1,200 spaces for employees each day are planned, while the maximum number of persons who can work at the same time is up to 600, and a 200-seat restaurant is also planned for them. The total area of the complex of buildings is around 23,000 m². The main production building with the warehousing premises occupies 22,000 m² including the administrative premises, the area of which is 6,000 m².

A 190 parking lot with spaces for electric

cars, green cars, car pool spaces, 50 bicycles and 25 motorcycles has been planned. The area of the garden in the internal yard of the administrative building is 400 m² and the area of the green roof is 300 m². A 1 ha square with greenery, an amphitheatre and a rain garden, as well as a sports and training building with a universal open multifunctional sports ground, are arranged in the surrounding areas of the building.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR THE INTERIOR AND 'CLEAN' PREMISES The main representative spaces are the lounge and the reception desk. All the production staff pass the lounge every day (around 1,200 employees per day) and the guests or future employees of the plant are welcomed here. Rest spaces with a view of the internal yard of the plant are designed for the employees on the ground floor. The production spaces must be 'clean' and not accumulate a static charge; thus, an ABP conductive epoxide cover and a SIKA epoxide cover were used, along with large format stoneware

tiles, PVC roller coverings and carpeting for the common spaces. Rest and coffee zones with natural light through solarTubes light channels, as well soft furniture were included in the designed for the production space.

The office spaces are also full of multifunctional areas for rest, meetings, training and cooperation; namely, there are meeting rooms and waiting rooms with soft furniture. A 'show room' screen with product exposition and a display wall is designed in the lounge. One of the most impressive spaces is a black lobby and stairs. The metal stairs have a cantilever structure. Beneath it, there is a rest space, a coffee zone, and decorative wall designed over two floors of the building. If you climb the stairs, a view to the amphitheatre square opens up.

"We have paid considerable attention to the restaurant in our design, as the customer also considers this function very important.

The task was to distance ourselves from the standard-type canteen of a plant," the architect told us. Thus, a 200-customer open canteen style restaurant with a selfservice food line and several 'pop up' food islands were designed. We tried to create the broadest range of catering zones from bistro to bar tables, with metal chairs near the food dispensing and passage corridors, 'casual style dining' in the family catering hall centre, and restaurant 'fine dining' with massive tables, soft furniture and luminaires. Each zone is designed with the square, landscape and the amphitheatre in view. Besides this, a separate zone for heating food was designed. There is a coffee and a dessert zone near the entrance to the restaurant that may be used for informal meetings with colleagues or guests. The space is simple, with a rectangular layout, and with an industrial style concrete ceiling and open engineering, with an acoustic greyish floor. Neutral colours prevail in the interior. The focus is on the views from the display windows into the internal yard and square, where colourful furniture and accessories are in place. The space is divided by different suspended ceilings and suspension lattice structures with plants.

A SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE HAS BEEN CREATED In addition to the internal spaces, the public outside space is also of particular importance. The square designed in front of the main building covers about a 1 ha area. It is divided into different functional areas, with entrances to the building from the car parks, and bus stations are planned.

This public space is open to all residents of the surrounding areas, and was designed taking into consideration the customer's wish to allocate a space to employees for retreating from their work routine and changing the environment. Different rest zones were designated to create shadowed and sunny places. The landscape in front of the building is formed by the amphitheatre square covered with massive granite slabs from Portugal, with the amphitheatre benches, load bearing walls and stairs of diagonal shapes. A representative space is formed with a path to the entrance of the building. The rigid shapes of the building are supplemented by the green 'islands' of the prominent relief. Arrays of trees form shadows and help to provide cooler areas on hot summer days. Granite paved walking paths and park paths lead towards the rain garden and rest terrace.

Composite wood boards were used in the sunny spaces facing the rain garden.

RAIN GARDEN AND NATURALLY CREATED ECOSYSTEM The inner garden of the building (400 m²) was created on the basis of forestry principles. The plants were selected and arranged taking into account the amount of light that would be received in the conditions of the closed internal garden. "As the design concept and the LEED requirements state that no artificial irrigation of plants is allowed, special plant species have been chosen," said J. Narauskienė. A lot of deciduous shrubs, namely, white dogwoods, winged spindles, Anglojap yew and multi-stem

"I believe that we can be proud of changing the standard solutions; in particular, the office cooperation spaces have become more open, as we created more liberal, open and modern interior solutions, with more informal and multifunctional spaces."

Architect Justina Narauskienė birches, were planted. The plants under the trees are composed of the herbaceous plants characteristic of forest areas, ranging from fems to sedges. The inner garden on the second floor (300 m²) was also created as an additional source of natural light and was planted with sedum carpeting. Irrigation systems will not be used for the greenery, plants that grow naturally in Lithuania have been chosen.

The hard covers and roofs were designed to intensively reflect the sun rays with a view to avoiding heat islands, and a green roof was designed in one part of the office.

The rain garden is a solution which is very rarely used, and is currently unusual in Lithuania. Water temporarily remains in the garden, but its level fluctuates from drought to standing water. The plants are appropriate and decorative, and the roots of the plants perform a water filtering function. In the blooming meadow environment, trees with ripening fruit are created and this attracts animals ranging from bees to small mammals.

In addition, outdoor spaces for rest, i.e. a sports and training centre, along with a universal sports ground for team games were designed. Open individual sports grounds. No asphalt was used for the outdoor ground cover; instead, only concrete blocks, granite slabs and blocks were used, i.e. materials for intensively reflecting the sunlight were chosen.

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success story CHALLENGES LEED Gold sets particularly high requirements for the materials used in the building and the territory, even including their colours. Thus, the roof of the building and the majority of the colours in the parcel of land are white or grey. The materials used in the object had to have such certificates as EPH and HPD. Finding trees with such certificates became a serious challenge, since the materials prevailing in Europe had the certificates appropriate for LEED v.3 which did not meet the requirements of LEED v.4.

The architectural and engineering solutions of the building had to not only meet the requirements of STR but also the mandatory requirements of the American design standard ASHRAE, which determines what solutions are not typical of the local market.

In addition, the architects faced the challenges of dealing with the high ground water level, and integrating the building and the infrastructure with the existing situation, so a decision to divide

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the parcel into terraces was made and the whole area of the production building was maintained on one plane.

"Of course, we had to assess ourselves critically and draw conclusions after the construction work of the building was already finished," said the Manager of StART studio. "All the construction processes faced their challenges; thus, if it was possible to change something, changes that would simplify the construction processes would be made."

THE PROJECT HAS EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS The managers of the plant have welcomed the project and the processes taking place during the construction. "The plant built in Kaunas is a benchmark project for other Continental constructions throughout the world," said the Manager of the plant S. Ali. "The experience we acquired during the project is already being applied in other new Continental plants in Aguascalientes, Mexico and in Debrecen, Hungary. The

plant situated in Kaunas is characterised by the most modern technical cleanliness conditions and meets the highest automotive industry standards."

The team of architects who passed such an important test of their professional abilities is also satisfied with the results of their work. "We have received very favourable evaluations and comments from the representatives of Continental.

Although we created our design in accordance with the standards of the corporation in relation to the quality of the materials and the functions of the premises, the customer has evaluated our project as more distinguished than all other existing plants of the corporation. This was determined by the interior solutions, accents, materials of the administrative part and the layout of the office spaces.

When creating the design, we complied with relatively strict rules but, in certain cases, we started to offer our solutions and we are glad that the customer accepted and allowed us to apply these innovations in a very flexible manner. This is probably what distinguished our plant from the other plants," rejoiced J. NarauskienÄ—.

The choice of the highest level ergonomic work furniture reflects the progressive approach of Continental towards the contemporary workplace, and eloquently demonstrates the company's attention to every employee.

LT.PROJECT was a partner chosen by the Continental company for the preparation of representative leisure and office spaces.

During the project we worked on supplying the furniture for workstations (HAWORTH highest-level ergonomic chairs and HAWORTH adjustable height tables); standard furniture for other spaces including ESD furniture; nonstandard furniture solutions; acoustic solutions; lighting of workplaces and decorative lighting.

We represent manufacturers from the USA, Scandinavian and Western

European countries that are recognised around the world. Such internationally known companies as Haworth (USA), Lammhults (Sweden), Sedus (Germany), Actiu (Spain) and many other companies appreciate our professionalism and competence and have chosen us as their exclusive representatives. During the company's 13 years of operations, we have implemented more than 1,000 projects of different scopes and complexities. When creating the solutions and choosing the products necessary for implementation of a project, we carefully choose the suppliers and ensure that the chosen products

www.ltproject.lt

will meet the requirements for business spaces, and will provide the necessary supporting certificates, reliable warranties and post-warranty maintenance. The business world is dynamic, companies are growing and changing; thus, the business spaces are constantly evolving. Given these changing needs, we are prepared to ensure long-term professional partnerships and the operational maintenance necessary to our customers.

We are a team of professionals who have acquired long-standing experience in the fields of project management and the furnishing of business spaces.

JSC SKP ALIUMINIS

ALUMINIUM FACADE SYSTEMS FOR EXCEPTIONAL ARCHITECTURE

JSC SKP Aliuminis was established in 2007. The successful operations of the company have led to the development of its activities, it has rapidly grown, and its sales and production volumes have increased. The success of SKP Aliuminis is determined by its cooperation, competence, responsibility and more than ten years of experience in the implementation of projects of different complexities.

Modern production technologies, highquality raw materials and production facilities in Lithuania enable the company to offer the best price/quality ratio to customers. Experienced personnel have been working in the company since the date of its incorporation. We seek for constant improvement; thus, we are always looking for new, effective

solutions in our field. We try to provide our customers with solutions that are technologically liable, ensure comfort and are modern.

The SKP Aliuminis company manufactured and installed windows and doors of the Reynaers Masterline 8 aluminium profile system for the Continental plant. These products met the strictest requirements applicable for buildings of the high energy efficiency class and the strict Continental requirements for obtaining the LEED certificate. The Concept Wall® 50 facade system with double-chamber glazing, which satisfies both the contemporary sustainability and thermal conductivity needs and is maximally transparent to allow natural light into the premises, was chosen for the show windows. Concept

Wall® 50 is characterised by a diversity of designs for the creation of expressive architecture.

The aluminium curtain walls and windows were installed in a relatively short time corresponding to the concise schedule of the construction work and did not prevent any other construction processes.

Aluminium – glass products: manufacturing and installation.

SKP Aliuminis UAB Chemijos g. 29A, LT-51333, Kaunas, Tel.: + 370 37 43 00 93, E-mail: aliuminis@skp.lt www.skpaliuminis.lt

solution

AMBITIOUS CHANGES IN THE TERRITORY OF UNITY SQUARE IndrÄ— VOZGIRDAITÄ–

The reconstruction work in Unity Square and the former Institute of the Industrial Construction Design Institute , which to the majority of persons are still known as Pramprojektas, is now coming closer to an end. This significant project which has created major challenges for its authors, has significantly affected the community of architects, inspiring slightly different and quieter debates on the changes to the newly resurrected, ambitiously reconstructed central part of the city.

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solution The multi-functional design was developed by the German design studio 3deluxe in cooperation with the Lithuanian architect Rimantas Giedraitis.

It has faced conflict and has sparked a storm of opinions in the Lithuanian architectural community, but has been welcomed and even received an award in the international arena. The Design Council established by the Parliament of Germany has recognised the architectural concept of Unity Square as the best concept in the category "City Spaces". In the opinion of Dieter Brell and Christian RĂźcker, the architects of 3deluxe, this international recognition of the project was due to the clear position of the concept without artificial homogenisation and historisation. The German architects have no doubt the multi-faceted structure of the city will face the classic challenges of urban planning. "From the today's perspective, people have to be included in the centre of urban planning. What is important is not how to represent the state or the authorities, but how to adapt the space to the daily life of the city dwellers.

The modern urban design cannot be smoothly integrated with the existing structure in the classic sense, because it would look weak and become meaningless," maintained D. Brell. In the opinion of the architect R. Giedraitis, the design was first evaluated as a successfully realised multi-functional structural element of the city centre.

A NEW UNITY SQUARE IS EMERGING The barriers which hid Unity Square from the eyes of strangers have already been removed, i.e. bystanders can watch the granite ground cover, and the massive but plastic concrete castings being laid in the square, while greenery is being planted in the double islands. The newly formed stairs from Putvinskio Street will take you to the amphitheatre facing the reconstructed buildings. A two-storey underground car park beneath the square has already been fully finished.

The German architects have focussed on the most attractive aspect of the square, i.e. the fact that different historical periods and architectural styles can be seen in it. "When creating the concept of the new design, we made a specific 77

solution effort not to disguise this diversity by interposing architectural elements. The modern city centre requires a modern identity," affirmed D. Brell. The architects emphasise that they have maintained the principles of the historic zones of the square, i.e. the wide-open space towards Donelai훾io Street and the high level of the hill in front of the BLC Centre further form the main frame of the square. The remaining free main space of the square will be perfect for the organisation of different events; for example, annual jazz festivals and other city festivals.

The German architects claim that they discussed how to convey high quality hospitality through the design for a long time, since they believe that the lack of hospitality was a major shortcoming of the configuration of the former square, caused by the main representative functions attributed to it.

Thus, we had to focus on how to deliver a strong positive image to the square and revitalise the square by a holistic design of the inherited zones, while offering a diversity of high quality spaces minimised to the human scale. Open spaces will be intended for larger groups of city dwellers, while smaller closed places will be intended for more private conversations or meetings.

According to R. Giedraitis, a lot of work still has to be carried out, but the small constructions will be finished in the autumn and winter, and the final view will be open to the dwellers of Kaunas in spring.

The Lithuanian architect pointed out that, in drawing up the design, he had to take into account a lot of factors which have significantly impeded the work: the rugged square relief, different buildings in it, and the context of the historical areas. It took a great deal of effort to construct the underground car park, which involved a distinctive solution with the inverted relief of the square reflecting on the ceiling. The architects had to very precisely calculate the height, depth and gradients of the entrance ramps, and the calculation of whether a vehicle would fit was often determined by only a number of centimetres. Around 500 parking spaces, including 50 spaces intended for city dwellers on working days, will be included in the two storeys of the car park.

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DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TO GREENERY R. Giedraitis told us that, at first, the customer SBA Group wanted a light and vivid square. The architect had not doubt that a light colour of ground cover in the square would be psychologically appropriate to our climatic zone, which is characterised by particularly dark periods.

The manual casting and formation of the massive concrete figures, each of which is unique and wavy in shape, took a long time. R. Giedraitis acknowledged that, at first, the concrete shapes recommended by the German architects caused considerable doubts; however, when they saw the solution that had already been implemented, their effect looked better than expected. The main advantage of the massive shapes is their multifunctionality: they may serve as sculptural elements or elements demarcating the green zones, as well as becoming rest places with the possibility to contribute to skateboard routes for youths. The architect assured us that he himself is looking forward to seeing how the city dwellers really use the shapes.

C. R체cker acknowledged that the complexity of the flexible shapes was an absolute challenge in the creation and implementation of the design. The architect told us that the flexible concrete shapes were created by a professional skateboard structure specialist from Latvia, who was fully aware of how to create a modern and dynamic environment in the city.

The square will have two new water features: an interactive fountain integrated into the paving and an artificial spring with several water reservoirs.

The fountains embedded in the surface of pavement will not impede the functionality of the square, as if they are turned off, the square may be used for different meetings and festivals. "These places will invite you to play with the water, sit, relax and listen to the sounds of the flowing stream," noted C. R체cker.

Decorative plants and trees will be planted in the shaped concrete islands.

R. Giedraitis acknowledged that, unfortunately, it was impossible to preserve all the trees in the square due to the design of the underground car

park, which was already planned by the city a long time ago. Today, only the old Oak of Signatories and some other trees at the edges of the square remain, while concrete basins with black earth, in which birches and pines were planted, are set up in areas where they will not disturb the car park. Nevertheless, in the opinion of our interlocutor, there will be sufficient plants, or at least there will be not less plants than before.

The German architects noted that the innovative design of public spaces has become increasingly important throughout the world. The city squares are becoming more often understood as common areas under the open sky for the people of the city. "Such new city oases do not mean a classical separation between hard ground cover and green zones any longer, and are understood in a much more integrated manner: the paths, green zones, and the passive rest and play areas all fit into each other," pointed out C. R체cker. In the opinion of the German architect, the concept of the organic plan in Unity Square combines local plants, sloped grass lawns and trees with water elements, leisure, sport and play areas. "Don't forget that greenery is used not only as the background or scenery, but also as a main design element similar to the other materials. During the warm season, leisure and relaxation functions which are almost analogous to the ones in parks can be are attributed to the green zones," said the German architect.

EFFORTS TO PRESERVE THE STRUCTURE HAVE BEEN MADE Speaking about the architecture of the former Pramprojektas, a building which is a rather iconic, slightly late example of Soviet modernism consisting of open blocks, R. Giedraitis noted that it is likely that it will be included in the list of protected buildings in upcoming years.

The team of architects had no doubt that it was worth preserving the building, even though they were not obliged to comply with the statutory heritage requirements.

The architects tried to preserve all the blocks of the building as much as possible, ignoring a variety of differing opinions.

R. Giedraitis told us that the highest

building facing the square historically had two additional green and black facade finishing; thus, he wanted to add additional dark elements after its reconstruction. The square-shaped windows that make up the majority of the facade, and which are shaded with smaller grey-blue frames, have partially become such elements. R. Giedraitis acknowledged that, to begin with, the solution of using shaded windows seemed to be slightly risky; however, today it is evident that this colour is a nice contrast to the white colour of the facade.

Today, R. Giedraitis does not regret implementing some solutions. The white structural plaster used for the facades is characteristic of modern architecture; thus, the modern face of the building which was stylistically damaged over time has kind of been restored. Large format glass and stone planes will used in the main entrance zone and should also bring additional diversity to the white plaster facades of the preserved main building.

After the removal of the superstructure and the technical floor, which did not match the overall architecture of the building in the highest levels, i.e. the

eleven-storey block which was built during a later period, the structure was more successfully integrated into the structure as a whole. Instead of these, several new storeys were constructed which, according to the architect, did not significantly heighten the building. A terrace that may be used by the future lessees has been designed on the roof of the lower block.

INSPIRED BY THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD WARS The corner building which is closest to Putvinskio Street did not belong to the late modernist architecture, it was of a slightly lower value than the other structures and it could not be easily restructured in functional terms; thus, permission was given to rebuild it. A structure with an entirely new aesthetic and design, reflecting the image of Putvinskio Street in the agriculture of the period between the two wars, was designed on the old foundation. The vision of this design was created by the German architects, who were inspired

by the buildings of the period between the two wars in the new town and in the centre of Kaunas.

"The design with rounded corners and a consistent continuation of the facades creates a strong welcoming sign leading towards the square, which can be recognised even from afar. This formal expression pays tribute to the perfect art deco heritage of Lithuania and, in particular, Kaunas," said the German architect D. Brell explaining the new idea for the architecture.

The team of architects preserved all the former pilasters of the building in the long block facing the square, which became slightly larger due to compliance with the energy requirements. As the square was lowered, the ground floor that was below the level of the square was reformed to become the first floor, where display windows were installed. It is expected that the most representative areas of cafes, restaurants and shops will be visible here. A terrace with an enclosed space was designed on the roof of the building. Special covers, lighting and plenty of greenery will be included here.

C. RĂźcker told us that the reconstructed additional rooms near the central spaces in the building allowed the designers

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solution

to create open work spaces and very flexible floor plans. Visually significant structures have determined the minimalist style of the loft, and the futurist corner buildings with uniquely shaped openings have retained the charm of this style inside the building.

The volume of the block that was characterised by long horizontal windows has been maintained. Earlier, the oblong windows were moved slightly to one side; thus, the new symetrical design of the windows helped to maintain the character of the building. The aim of the architects was to 'deliver' the interior to the square so that all the premises facing it would be maximised in functional terms. The fitted lobby opens up to the square with vertical and horizontal display windows, so its space may be viewed even from the outside. According to R. Giedraitis, such a solution is

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partially related to the fact that the ground floor has been returned to the square.

The solutions and ideas of the interior will depend on the needs of the lessees who move in here.

THE GREATEST CHALLENGES ARE THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS When the German architects were asked about the criticism on the reconstruction voiced by the public, they assured us that they see this as positive criticism, since it only proves there are various opinions and ongoing debates. In their opinion, a closer look at the new square reveals that a lot of links with the environment and the different architectural styles of the city may be found, although not all are evident at first glance.

However, R. Giedraitis recalled that the

abundant criticism and different attitudes were the most challenging parts of the design. More than the complex technical solutions was the necessity to reach a compromise between the different opinions. Our interlocutor laughed, saying that he was made to feel like a very bad architect by all the stakeholders for several years. He assured us that the German authors of the architectural concept and the customers supported their own positions, where they were for a modern, ambitious solution while he and his team wanted a more consistent version.

R. Giedraitis acknowledges that it was not easy for him to create a joint product in which he could not fully believe.

"On the other hand, now I see that in reality everything looks better than in the design solutions. I myself learned

solution

Photo credit: Kostas KajÄ—nas.

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solution

the lesson that as an architect, I should be bolder," said R. Giedraitis. In his opinion, during Soviet times we took up the majority of new things too late due to a lack of information; and today, we are also reluctant to try what is new, but this time it is probably due to low self-confidence. Indeed, there are a considerable number of examples where new shapes are boldly incorporated into the historical environment, where they fit in and even become the benchmarks throughout the world, although at the start they face the same challenges, with opposing public opinions.

"I believe that some of our opponents

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will acknowledge that nothing bad has happened, and that a fully modern square may also find its place along with the new War Museum. However, if someone does not acknowledge this, that is normal, as there may be different opinions on the designs of such significance," the architect concluded, as the project was coming to an end.

Unity Square in Kaunas is being renovated by SBA Group, which will spend about EUR 10 million on this project: almost EUR 5 million will be allocated for the reconstruction of

the upper part of the square and for environmental management; and more than EUR 5 million will be invested in the underground car park. In historical terms, this is the largest investment in the design of a central square in Lithuania.

Kaunas Municipality has contributed to the renovation of the square by purchasing the granite for it. The total amount of the investment of SBA in the square and in the business centre BLC 2 being developed nearby is about EUR 40 million.

EXPERIENCES AND KNOWLEDGE FOR REAL PROPERTY DEVELOPERS The Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association, established in 2014, unites 63 major companies operating in the real estate industry, i.e. developers, banks and law firms. The main activities of the Association are the representation of business interests and education.

The activities of the business environment are divided into five main working groups: Group of Spatial Planning and Construction Legislation, Group for Public-Private Partnership Initiatives (PPP), Group for Tax Systems and the Rates of Monopolistic Enterprises, Group for the Development of the Public Infrastructure and Group for Innovations.

OTHER INITIATIVES: Organisation

of thematic events, training on relevant city planning, legal, tax, communication and other issues on a regular basis.

Business

breakfasts CORE

Conference. Žinių

centras (News with the management of Annual conference for Centre) is a relevent Vilnius City Municipality. market professionals printed and electronic Organisation of meetings organised in February book on urban planning with the political heads and and bringing together and city development administration of Vilnius managers and decisionfor the members of City Municipality on the makers in the real the Lithuanian Real development of the city and property market.

Estate Development matters relevant to business Association. and the society on a regular basis.

The

Lithuanian Real Estate Professional sightseeing tours include journeys to foreign Klubas-4

(ClubDevelopment Association countries to visit the best examples of the creation and 4) is a non-formal brings together the PropTech governance of cities, with architectural and urban sites. Journeys communication club community, i.e. meetings of which have already taken place: Amsterdam (Netherlands) 2014, for the members real estate developers and real Copenhagen /Malmö (Denmark/Sweden) 2017, London (United of the Association, estate technology (PropTech) Kingdom) 2018, New York (USA) 2018 and Toronto (Canada) with meetings and communities for technological 2019. Planned journeys in 2020: Tokyo (Japan) and Dubai (UAE) discussions on relevant innovations are organised on a to visit the international exhibition EXPO 2020. topics organised on a regular basis. monthly basis.

The

Housing Fair is an event organised twice a year, i.e. in spring and autumn, intended for purchasers looking for housing. During the event, the most recent real estate projects in Vilnius City are presented.

Sightseeing

trips to the cities of Lithuania are guided by a professional tourist guide in separate districts of the city, where new buildings are presented to the community.

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THE LITHUANIAN CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION: FOR CHANGES IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

Currently, the position of the President of the Lithuanian Construction Association is held by Dalius Gedvilas.

The Lithuanian Construction Association (LCA) is an independent, nonpolitical organisation transparently representing the interests of the construction business in Lithuania, established in 1993.

This is one of the largest organisations in Lithuania, the aim of which is to promote cooperation between public authorities and the community of builders, create added value for the members of the association and create a positive image of the builder profession in the society by its activities.

One of the main lines of action is the digitalisation of construction processes and the development of construction information technologies.

ACTIVITIES OF THE LITHUANIAN CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION: It unites over 150 companies engaged in construction, design, consulting and technical supervision, manufacturing of construction materials and structures, as well as industry and training organisations and sectoral associations.

It is a social partner of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and Kaunas University of Technology, as well as other colleges, vocational training and other science and training organisations.

It is a member of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists and a member of the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC).

It cooperates with foreign construction sector associations.

It is a venture of the public institution Skaitmeninė statyba.

It is the developer of the portal of electronic construction rules STATAI (www.statybostaisykles.lt).

It develops the register of the accounting of working times and competences of employees in the construction sector STATREG (www.statreg.lt).

It cooperates with the State Labour Inspectorate of Lithuania.

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DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION STATYBA (The public institution Skaitmeninė statyba (Digital Construction) is an organisation which unites the associations operating in the construction sector and is intended for the coordination

of the Lithuanian constuction digitalisation process.

The organisation was established in 2014.

The public institution Skaitmeninė statyba (Digital Construction) is

a representative of Lithuania in buildingSMART Nordic, the branch of the Northern European countries for the international alliance buildingSMART.

Creation,

introduction and development of the National Construction Classification.

Drawing

up the requirements for procurments.

Formation

of the need for the sector.

Educational

and other events.

Organisation

of the annual international 'Digital Construction' conference.

Searching

for the best practices.

ACTIVITIES:

Standartisation

of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in projects and searching for the solutions to increase the potential for its use and the introduction of such solutions.

Promotion

and regulation of the use of IFC Open BIM (open building information modelling standard).

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