Behind the scenes on Čaka street – a close-up of the finalist of the Riga Architecture of the Year Award.

In the opinion of the jury representative, architect Jānis Lejnieks (company Icomos Latvia), the name of the building project Aizkulises indicates the originality of its facade. “The architect admits that he was inspired by an opera performance, and the investigated mosaic finish in dark red color has given the object a uniqueness that the client has not hesitated to use for the marketing of the building. Rounded and irregularly shaped corners, which are formed by the “folded” facade and loggias, which make the lighting of the stairwell more complicated, are a peculiar restoration of former feelings, because they remind one of the characteristics of Riga tenement houses of the Art Nouveau era – mystery or irrationality. Perhaps “Aizkulises” is the incarnation of Albert Street’s Eisenstein architecture,” admits J. Lejnieks. According to him, the layout of the apartments is of high quality, and the areas of the rooms are analogous to the new projects, but their content is richer. In accordance with modern requirements, there is no kitchen in the apartments, there is only a kitchen niche or a corner in the living space. J. Lejnieks believes that “Aizkulises” deserves the award of the year, “because in some places the degraded neighborhood of Grīziņkalns, on the periphery of the center of Riga, the building brings the understanding of architecture as art found only in the center”. See more about the “Behind the scenes” project here. See the original version of the article on the website.