Lāčplēša kvartāls – Neighborhood

Lāčplēša kvartāls will appear on the site of a vacant lot, but one of its central elements will be a preserved 19th century factory chimney, which will be a landmark of the main square in the new neighbourhood.

Brick is planned to be used on the facades to emphasise the industrial past of the district: at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Avoty (whose name can be translated as “Springs”) was actively built up with factory buildings. Now the area adjacent to the center is actively developing—read about it in another article.

Lāčplēša kvartāls is located between Lāčplēša iela, Satekles iela, Visvalža iela and Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša iela. The developer is Estonian company Estmak Capital, which will invest about EUR 50 million in the quarter.

Layouts and Amenities

The total area of the Lāčplēša kvartāls will be almost 60,000 m². The project involves the construction of 600 new flats as well as commercial premises: the area of offices, cafes, shops and other commercial premises will amount to about 14,000 m².

The project is positioned as green and environmentally friendly: special attention will be paid to the preservation of existing plants and planting of new trees and evergreen shrubs, as well as the arrangement of flower beds.

Infrastructure

The quarter is located in walking distance from the Old Town. It falls within the protected zone of the historical center, as this part of Riga is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. New housing in this area is very rare.

The Estmak Capital team promises that Lāčplēša kvartāls in Riga will resemble the Rotermanni quarter in Tallinn (we told you about it in this article): there will also be an open public space—a pedestrian alley and a square for walking and holding city events. The quarter as a whole will be mainly oriented towards pedestrians and cyclists rather than cars, although the necessary infrastructure will be provided for them as well.

The main square of the neighbourhood, located around the existing 19th century chimney, will become a meeting place for residents living and working in the area, as well as for the rest of the citizens to stroll around.

Energy Efficiency

There are no specific data on the energy efficiency of the buildings yet, but Estmak Capital always focuses on sustainable construction, so it can be assumed that Lāčplēša kvartāls will be realised as a maximum sustainable project.

Project Team

The developer of the project is Estonian investment company Estmak Capital.

The design of the new neighbourhood was developed by the architectural bureaus DUAL arhitekti (Latvia) and Archunion (Ukraine).

Awards

In 2022, the Lāčplēša kvartāls project received the nomination of the most ambitious concept among Latvian property projects according to the BRELF Awards jury.