On April 21, Riga Technical University (RTU) has buried a time capsule in the foundation of a new building of the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FCSIT). The building is being built in the RTU student campus at 10 Zunda Embankment, Ķīpsala. This is a long-awaited historic moment, since after the construction of the building FCSIT will finally join the six RTU engineering faculties already located on Ķīpsala island.

Currently, FCSIT academic buildings are located near Ķīpsala, at Sētas and Daugavgrīvas Streets, but for the first time in the history of the faculty, a new building is being built specifically for FCSIT needs. It will have not only auditoriums and laboratories for students and researchers to work, but also a shared auditorium centre for lectures, conferences and other events that will bring together a large number of participants.

“The faculty will have modern premises suitable for its operation, and, which is symbolic, it is planned that the new building will open its doors next year, when our faculty will celebrate its 60th anniversary,” Professor Agris Nikitenko, Dean of FCSIT, said, emphasizing that FCSIT is a leader in Latvia in such fields as artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and software development and design technology.

The time capsule has been buried in the foundation of the faculty building. It contains the messages of the RTU Rector and four Deans of the faculty – the current and three former ones - for future generations, as well as the artefact most accurately describing the scientific activities of the faculty - a robot in the form of an owl, a symbol of wisdom.

The new building of the faculty is being built using ERDF funding by SIA Skonto Būve. “During this challenging time, builders, like doctors, pharmacists, salespeople and many other professionals, continue to responsibly perform their duties. Therefore, the right choice to build or not to build has led today to the possibility to bury the time capsule in the foundation of the new building of the RTU Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology. May the faculty be a beacon attracting new technology scientists!” Juris Pētersons, Member of the Board of Skonto Būve, said.

In March of this year, large-scale work on the technically demanding shopping centre expansion project, which lasted three years, was completed. Skonto Būve managed both the design and construction of the shopping centre. Within the framework of the project, a new commercial and office building was built, the total area of which exceeds 45 thousand square metres.

One of the biggest challenges in this project is the location of the building. The construction of the project took place in very difficult conditions from the engineering point of view. The shopping centre is located not only in the busiest part of the city, but also next to the railway station, the construction of which should not have been hampered. The second challenge was to supply the site with construction materials. During the whole project, very careful planning work was carried out so that in the limited area, construction material would be regularly delivered only in the most necessary amount.

The facade of the building is made of titanium zinc, brick masonry and glazing. An innovative solution is the atrium cover used for the first time in the Baltics, which is made of a light-permeable membrane. This solution ensures that daylight enters the huge construction volume of the building. The frame of the building itself is made of prefabricated reinforced concrete, which was designed and manufactured by Skonto Prefab, a Skonto Group company. The company has so far been recognised with significant projects abroad, therefore it is especially important to mention that Skonto Prefab has, for the first time, produced such a large-scale production of precast reinforced concrete for a local project. The project hides the inner atriums with the feeling of a city garden from the eyes of passers-by. Several terraces were created that cannot be seen from the street, but which will delight the tenants of the office premises in the future.

Now, the new Origo business centre has an underground car park for 130 cars and 70 bicycles. There is retail space on the first three floors, while from the fourth to the sixth floor there is an area of 11,500 square meters for office space. It should be noted that Origo is an energy-efficient building that is friendly to nature and people, according to the BREEAM (British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification for sustainable buildings.

Project type: Public building

Customer: Attīstības aģentūra Ltd. (JSC Linstow Group)

Designer: Skonto Būve, PS ARCADE

Time: 2017-2020

Country: Latvia

Total area: 46,148 m²

On 10 March 2020, the award ceremony of the most important competition in the industry Latvian Construction Year Award 2019 took place, in which Skonto Būve won the two highest awards. Both the implemented projects and company's specialists were appreciated.

With the Bussiness Garden Rīga, the company triumphed in the New Public Building nomination, winning the 1st place, while in the New Specialist nomination the 3rd place was won by Skonto Būve specialist Viktors Borisovskis.

In Latvia, a total of 162 applications in 10 nominations were received for the exhibition this year, including several foreign objects with the involvement of national professionals. Applicants competed for one of the three award-winning places in the following nominations: New Public Building, New Residential Building, Reconstruction, Facade Reconstruction, Restoration, New Engineering Building, Engineering Building Reconstruction, Wooden Structure, Public Outdoor Space and Industrial Structure.

The competition also identified the most talented professionals in the industry, who competed in the following nominations: Young Specialist, Construction Manager, Engineer-Designer, Project Manager and BIM Specialist.

We would like to thank all the Skonto Būve specialists for their dedicated and highly valued work!

More about the awarded object:

Customer: Vastint Latvia

Project: Depot project

Object: Business Garden Riga 1st stage buildings at 1 and 2 Malduguņu Street

Constructor: Skonto Būve

Construction supervision: Form 2

On 18 October, festive ridgepole celebrations of the House of the Future of Museum of the Occupation took place with attendees including representatives of the SJSC “State Real Estate”, project client and general constructor SIA “Skonto Būve”.

„We are truly proud of every construction project we accomplish but it is always a great honor and significance to take part in the projects with an important historical value, zeitgeist and contribution to future generations,” emphasizes Juris Pētersons, Member of the Board of SIA “Skonto Būve”.

Currently approximately 80% of the works in the House of the Future and around 20% of the load bearing construction works in the old part of the museum are accomplished. At the same time along with the museum reconstruction and building of the House of the Future another essential part of the ensemble will be implemented — the remembrance art object "Vēstures taktīla” (the construction of remembrance memorial complex to Soviet occupation victims). Ministry of Culture have allocated state budget funding of EUR 8.9 million for this project of historical significance. According to plan, the museum exhibition could return in the historical premises and be open to visitors in the end of 2020.

On 13 August, 2019, two buildings part of the first-phase construction at the Business Garden Rīga complex in Mārupe were put into operation. The completed projects include more than 14,000 m² of office space, parking for 200 bicycles, and a car park for 109 cars underground and 504 cars above ground. The complex is one of the largest of its kind in Latvia, offering its tenants an opportunity to plan for further development and expansion.

Construction of two office buildings – the X-3 project in 1 Malduguņu Street and Office Building C in 2 Malduguņu Street –began in 2017. Works also included construction of a recreational zone with all amenities and a car park. 

The buildings were constructed using the latest technologies and sustainable solutions to optimize their maintenance costs and create a pleasant and healthy working climate inside.The buildings will be certified in accordance with the internationally-recognized LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program, thus attesting to the projects’ compliance with the highest requirements for sustainability and comfort.   

Business Garden Rīga is a modern multi-building office development, with more than 70,000 m² of office space with all amenities for people working there, including a recreational zone, a restaurant and a café, a kindergarten, a health club, co-working space, as well as a number of other facilities. 

The complex is conveniently located near one of the major streets into Riga, Ulmaņa Gatve, right on the border of the city of Riga and Mārupe. The office buildings are surrounded by three streets – Ulmaņa Gatve, Lielā and Daibes Street – and can be easily accessed from a specially designed and built traffic lane. Also, public transport stops have been created near the complex. 

The construction plan designers – DEPO projects Ltd.,the project contractor – Vastint Latvia Ltd., construction works – Skonto Būve Ltd.