VERTICAL TIMBER BLOCKS
A new landmark of sustainable development

TYPE: Private
CLIENT: Municipality of Valmiera, Latvia
COLLABORATORS: -
SIZE: 52ha (site area)
LOCATION: Valmiera, Latvia
YEAR: 2019
STATUS: Idea
PARTNERS IN CHARGE: Alisher Sadykov
PROJECT LEADER: -
PROJECT ARCHITECT: Alisher Sadykov
TEAM: Alisher Sadykov

DESCRIPTION:

Valmiera is the largest city in the Northern part of Latvia and largest city of the historical Vidzeme region with a total area of 18.1 square kilometers, out of which 14% are industrial, commercial, or mixed business areas. Approximately 30% are beautiful green territories that provide sustainable development and recreation possibilities for inhabitants. With a lack of housing, project will serve as a pilot case to develop and test a CLT based system modules of medium and multi-story construction. The entire load-bearing structure and frame of the housing complex will be made of massive wood and composed of prefabricated volumetric CLT modules. Complex will explore the potential of modular prefabricated CLT construction to provide environmentally responsible and affordable housing of high quality. It will attempt to make the best possible use of the technical and aesthetic qualities of CLT and to create a wooden building on a large scale with a distinct architectonic expression of its own. The project will create a new and qualitative landmark in the west entrance part of Valmiera. Arriving in the city from the side of Riga, one will experience six to four-story detached buildings with respect to the existing five-story perimeter block housing, forming together a housing complex totally made of CLT, a physical marking of Valmiera, a new and attractive environmentally friendly area to live in. The residential towers ending on each residential block, featuring a landmark of ecological development in the city, will brake horizontal strong geometric character. All buildings together will enclose a large green park with the parking on the ground level, making artificial hilly landscape with private gardens on top of it and small forest in the middle, maximizing sunlight exposure and creating space for playgrounds. Another feature of the project is to connect this park with the existing courtyard of soviet time buildings to the respect of their residents. New alleys will be added to the existing pedestrian desire pathways through the central part of the complex making it convenient when passing through the area. The typology and arrangement of the apartments imply to mix different social groups together, where big family suits will be located in front of the small studios to erase social borders. In general, apartments with bigger families will be closer to the ground level so children and elderly people could enjoy the possibility to use private gardens and playgrounds. On the upper floors will be located rental studios with smaller apartments. The views provided from most of the apartments will be facing the park with the existing forest in the middle.