The Latvijas Finieris award in the Latvian Architecture Award goes to a school construction project in Sillamäe, Estonia
23.10.2024
On 18 October 2024, the winners of the Latvian Architecture Award 2024 were announced. To highlight and celebrate the use of wood in construction in Latvia, as well as the use of sustainable building solutions in construction projects, Latvijas Finieris also presented the company’s special award to the finalists. Latvijas Finieris honoured the school project by Latvian architectural firm Lauder Architects in Sillamäe, Estonia.
An international commission, established by Latvijas Finieris, evaluated the projects based on three criteria: site and environment: highlighting projects that clean up, improve, enhance and/or develop previously degraded or undeveloped areas, assessing the socio-economic benefits of the project for the locality; choice of materials: assessing the use of wood in the project; sustainability: assessing innovative solutions in the sustainability approach, use of materials, energy efficiency, environmental quality, etc.
The school in Sillamäe is designed in simple forms, using natural materials such as wood, concrete and glass. The building consists of three connected, offset two-storey zones, which fit nicely into the local structure, providing well-lit spaces and dividing the school into logical functional areas.
Māris Būmanis, Chairman of the Commission, says:
“The use of wood in construction has been increasing in Europe and Latvia in the last decade – especially in the segment of individual buildings, but less so in the industrial segment, and this positive trend was also evident in the projects nominated for the Latvian Architecture Award. Today, there is a return to wood as an ecological and equally aesthetically appealing building material. An undeniable factor in this revival is the context of climate change and the Green Deal, which also calls for sustainable (inheritable) solutions in the construction sector.
The Latvian Finieris commission appreciated the work of Latvian architects in offering bold and attractive solutions for an educational institution where it is not only important to demonstrate the use of wood but also to use the most natural materials possible to care for the well-being and health of the building’s occupants.
Latvijas Finieris started using wood structures in construction as early as 2007 when constructing the VEREMS mill in Rēzekne Municipality. We have already demonstrated the uniqueness and possibilities of wood in construction in eight projects, mostly industrial. A particular highlight is the wooden building complex in our tree nursery Zābaki, where a so-called “seedling cooler” is being built.”
Read more about the school project School in Sillamäe, Estonia – Latarh.