LATVIAN STATE FOREST OFFICE

Location: Dundaga (Latvia)
Architect: 5iela.lv
Year: 2017

Awards:

• Latvian Architecture award (2017)

Building description

The project aimed to design a building for the Latvian State Forests (LVM), which administers and manages the state-owned forest property. The building had to express the ecological mission of the institution and the sustainability policy it conducts.

Timber materials are widely used in the project, both inside and outside, making this building a unique example of wooden architecture of such scale in Latvia. Local spruce, protected with ecological oil, were used for building structures, construction and finishes. The main features of the interior space are the black painted load-bearing columns and the large glass façade that provides a visual link between the indoor and outdoor space.

Various engineering and architectural solutions were implemented to achieve a very high resource efficient and environmental friendly building, requiring little energy to be operated, namely: heat pumps for heating and cooling, LED lights with presence sensors, solar panels producing10kW electricity, automatic sunblinds, rainwater recovery system, triple glazing, biological treatment plants for wastewater with infiltration in the soil. Wood fibre, hemp and linen fibre are used for thermal insulation.

Next to the building, bicycle stands and electric car charging stations are installed.

Photos
Andris Tone