Krasta City – Neighborhood

The task of the new business complex is not only to offer comfortable conditions to tenants, but also to make the territory in the city, where Krasta City is located, interesting and attractive for citizens.

The strategy of development and building of the territory was formed on the basis of the competition that took place in 2020. It was won by the Danish bureau Arrow Architects.

In total, the entire development project is planned to be realised in several phases over a period of ten years. The total amount of usable space that the project will bring to the city is 180,000 m². The total investment required for realisation is 150 million euros. The works are planned to start already in 2023.

Concept

A half-kilometre long public promenade along the River Daugava, improved public transport, a pedestrian bridge, an improved cycling infrastructure, a class A business complex consisting of office buildings and a multifunctional centre with shops, restaurants and cafes, and a multi-storey car park—all these are the facilities planned within the Krasta City project.

Complementing each other, these objects will form a new neighbourhood in Riga and breathe new life into the Daugava embankment, making it one of the best parts of the city.

The business complex will consist of seven main buildings, which will be up to 15 storeys high, and one multifunctional building, the ground floors of which will fulfil public functions.

In designing it, architects from the Danish team Arrow Architects have revisited the usual pattern in which an office is simply a collection of workstations. Instead, Krasta City offices are seen as places where people spend a lot of time together, socialize and network.

In addition to active landscaping on the land around the business centre, the rooftop environment is being developed separately: gardens will appear here, offering office employees pleasant spaces for walking and helping to improve the ecology of Riga.

Infrastructure

The developers of the business complex, Estonian company Hepsor, emphasise that the multifunctional quarter will be located close to the centre of Riga and its key points: five minutes by bike from the Old Town and one kilometre from the new Rail Baltica station in the centre. The site’s position between the Island Bridge, Krāsta Street and the Daugava River gives the complex extensive development opportunities.

According to a Krasta City spokesperson, the project will improve public transport, build a new pedestrian bridge, and create cycling infrastructure.

In addition, public green areas and public gardens will be built, each of which will have access to the bank of the River Daugava. For more convenient access to the business complex, additional paths will be laid, which will not interfere with the traffic flow along Krasta Street.

Interaction with the river is an important part of the territory development scenario. A promenade is planned along the River Daugava, and moorings for passenger boats will be created on the bank, so that the business centre can be reached also by water.

Project Team

The developer of the project is the Estonian company SIA Hepsor, one of the fastest growing developers in the residential and commercial property segment in Estonia. Over the last ten years, Hepsor has built more than 1,400 houses and 23,000 m² of commercial space. The developer is actively implementing energy efficient solutions in the Baltic States.

The masterplan and architecture of the project is being handled by the Danish company Arrow Architects, whose project won the competition for the development of the area in 2020.