The New Philharmonic in Riga: Latest News

For several decades there have been many discussions around the new philharmonic building in Riga. In 2022, Rīgas dome (the Riga City Council) finally decided on the Congress Center as the location for the future concert hall. The architects of the project will be chosen based on the results of an international competition. It will be held in two stages during 2023. First, a jury will select a shortlist of the six best concepts, and then they will choose one finalist.

About the competition object

The Riga Congress Center is located in Kronvalds Park in the center of Riga, 5 Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street. The total area of the building is 11 041 m². It has two halls: a main concert hall has 1142 seats and a small hall has 280 seats. Until recently the building was used for public events. After the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia it was used as a help center for Ukrainian refugees.

Construction of the Philharmonic is expected to begin in 2027. It will be one of the most important places of cultural life in Latvia and the residence of several major artistic groups of the country. It will be home to Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Latvian Radio Choir, Sinfonietta Riga and Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestras, and the Latvian Radio Big Band, the only professional jazz orchestra in Latvia.

Architecture of the Congress Center

The building is located in the boulevard ring, which borders the Old Town. In the 19th  century, there was a small wooden building in its place, which belonged to the Riga’s German Shooting Club. After Riga was reconstructed and the ramparts were demolished, the area was adapted as the Shooting Garden with a shooting gallery. In 1931 the garden was made accessible to all.

In the 1970s, the Congress Center was commissioned by the Latvian Communist Party Central Committee. Immediately after its opening in 1981, it had another name, House of Political Education. The architects were Juris Gertmanis and Valery Kadyrkov. They made a massive volume with flowing features to soften the impact on the landscape. After World War II, Gertmanis and Kadyrkov created a number of key postwar modernist ensembles in Riga, including the Latvian Radio and Television Center on Zakyusala Island. Together with Zane Kalinka, they worked on the Ridzene Hotel at 1 Reimers Street (now Radisson Blu Ridzene).

The exterior is decorated with dolomite slabs and copper details. The interior consists of granite, marble, oak, and metal. All inner spaces are clustered around a spacious atrium with a cylindrical glass chandelier in the center. In the Soviet era, the Congress Center was used for party events, so the stage was equipped with a rostrum. After December 7, 1991, the building was taken over by the Cultural Division of Riga City Council, and the stage was redesigned. The rostrum was removed and the scene was renovated to accommodate musical evenings and film festivals.

Philharmonic Hall in Riga has been planned for 30 years

There is a long and tangled history surrounding the new concert hall. The idea of a larger and more modern philharmonic first sounded in the 1990s. The main hall of the Great Guild, where the national orchestra currently plays, has only 700 seats and the technical equipment isn’t satisfactory. However, for many years Riga could not decide on the location, the concept of the new building and its architects.

At first, there were plans to build it from scratch. In the mid-2000s, an international competition was held for this project. As a result, in 2006, the jury chose the design of the Andis Silis. In 2009, Helena Demakova, who at that time was the head of the Ministry of Culture, signed the design contract. The construction never began because of the economic crisis, and also because Inguna Ribena, who replaced Demakova, criticized the project.

At the same time there were plans to reconstruct the Congress Center. In 2011, it was to be rebuilt as a multifunctional concert hall. As a result of an architectural competition, the Nams bureau won. The architects were going to work together with the studio Arhitekta Jura Pogas arhitekta birojs and Gertmanis, the author of the original project.

But then, in 2019, the Latvian Union of Architects evaluated 36 possible locations for the National Acoustic Concert Hall and stopped on six sites. Three of them, including the Congress Center, were found to be the most appropriate for the future philharmonic. At the same time, the addition of the Congress House to the list of sites to be evaluated was the initiative of Riga City Council.

Nams Bureau conducted an extensive research of the House of Congresses. It was needed to determine the ability of the National Concert Hall to fit the volume and functional program compatible with the limitations of the building. Then it was concluded that the integration of the concert hall into the area of the Riga Congress House is possible. But it will be necessary to make compromises in the number and specification of spaces as well as internal and external logistics. Finally, on May 25, 2022, the City Council finally approved the development in the building.

Baltic music 

The competition brief says that music has always been one of the keystones of Latvia’s cultural identity, as well as a traditional and indispensable expression of the national spirit of life and culture. And it’s not just a word. The Song and Dance Festival gathers thousands of people in all three Baltic countries. And the Latvian festival is one of the grandest events in local cultural life.

The contemporary and traditional songs of Latvia and the other Baltic States were an important tool in the struggle for freedom and independence throughout the Soviet era. Latvian composer Boris Reznik created the trilingual song “Wake Up Baltic States”. It was a kind of anthem for the “Baltic Way”, a peaceful social action that became a turning point in the history of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Terms of the competition

Participation in the competition is free. All participants are required to create a concept and a master plan for the future Philharmonic Hall. The project needs to include architectural and functional solutions, as well as the landscaping of the public space around the congress center.

Several key areas have to be presented in the competition: the new foyer, the main and small lobbies, dressing rooms, offices, the technical area and the underground parking lot. For the reconstruction it is necessary to use the main building of the Сongress Сenter. But the glazed pyramid-shaped addition, which was built in 1999, can be demolished.

Limitations 

The competition is in English and Latvian. In the first phase, it is allowed to send up to nine A1-format information boards with images and text descriptions. Participants must have had experience with a public building of at least 7 000 m² within the previous five years. In competition are allowed architectural studios whose minimum average annual turnover in design services was at least 200 000 euros over the three fiscal years.

Timing and jury

I stage

Until May 10, 2023. The submission deadline is 5 p.m. local time. Up to six entries will be selected at the end of the round.

II stage

Shortlisted finalists will be chosen. The date is undefined yet.

The jury of the competition will consist of Gatis Didrihsons, member of the board of the Latvian Association of Architects; Juris Dambis, head of the Latvian National Heritage Department; Pēteris Ratas, head of the Riga City Architect Service; Indra Lukina, head of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. They will evaluate the projects according to the following criteria: 30% on urban planning, 35% on the renovation concept, and 35% on functional aspects.

Awards

Each of the six shortlisted participants will receive 30 000 euros. The finalist will receive 30 000 euros and the ability to negotiate a contract for a design valued at 3.5 million euros. The prices for the second and third places are 20 000 and 10 000 euros.

For more information, visit the competition website, the Office of Procurement Oversight and the Electronic Procurement System.

In the following text, we tell you what the new philharmonics look like in different cities around the world.