House of Letters will institute UL as a compact entity

The University of Latvia (UL) Academic Centre is rapidly approaching the stage when almost all the faculties will be united at the same location – in Torņakalns. At the end of this year, “RERE BMV” will commence design and construction of the House of Letters. The opening of the new house is scheduled for 2023. Six UL faculties of humanities and social sciences will move to the House of Letters: Faculty of History and Philosophy, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Business, Management and Economics and Faculty of Theology. It is planned that the new building will also house three institutes: Institute of Latvian History, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, and Latvian Language Institute. The UL Student Business Incubator, the UL Interdisciplinary Centre for Educational Innovation and the UL Library will also be housed in the new building.

Jānis Ploks, the director of the House of Letters project implemented within UL Academic Centre development programme, explains, how the House of Nature will differ from the first buildings constituting the Academic Centre – the House of Nature and the House of Science.

The University of Latvia Academic Centre is expanding – according to the plans, the House of Letters will open its doors in 2023. How will it differ from the existing edifices – the House of Nature and Science?

It will be the largest of the three buildings. The planned area is 26 000 square metres, it will become a home to a greater number of faculties and institutes than the previously completed buildings. Likewise, the intensity of use and the number of people characterizing the building’s capacity will be higher.

If we talk about the House of Nature, the first impression is the colourful lights that illuminate the façade of the building, while the first association with the House of Science is its large and spacious atrium with a view of the sky. Is the House of Letters also to have its own visual character?

Certainly, the House of Letters will be different from the two other buildings. Firstly, it is larger of a more complex configuration. The House of Letters, unlike the House of Science, will have two atriums around which will revolve the social lives of university students, staff and visitors. The façade will be highlighted by parasols or blinds, which shape the semantic form of the building and provide the main architectural accent.

When is the House of Letters construction scheduled to begin?

It is planned to begin at the end of this year. According to the agreement, by November 2021, the construction project will be approved at all the institutions and will have received all permits, and construction will start.

I would like to emphasize that a separate stage has been singled out, which is not related to the House of Letters – the procurement includes a passage connecting the House of Nature and the House of Science. This will be the first stage of construction, which, according to the plan, should be completed in the second half of this year. Thus, in the autumn the House of Nature and the House of Science will be connected by a new passage.

Will the adjacent territory also be altered with developing the House of Letters?

Yes, the surroundings of the UL Academic Centre buildings will certainly be much more populated. We are currently working to announce a design competition for the entire territory, in which both local and foreign architects will be invited to participate. Therefore, I can say that in June and July of this year a conceptual solution should be ready for the whole territory – the exterior surrounding the House of Letters, the House of Science, and the House of Nature, as well as for the next stage buildings of the Academic Centre. Currently, the building company in close cooperation with our project support team are mapping out the current situation, while in parallel, further modelling of future-oriented development is taking place. There is a shared concept for the territory of the House of Letters, the House of Science and the House of Nature, but given that there will be a 3^rd phase of construction, in which several more buildings will be constructed, it is useful to consider the entire prospective area as a whole.

Could you outline the changes in exterior?

The yard of the House of Letters will have a fountain, two circular amphitheatres will be created in a landscaped relief. The Faculty of Humanities stones will also be moved to the House of Letters. Dwarf apple trees will be planted in the yard. With the improvement plan we have aimed to consolidate the two existing buildings and the House of Letters into one complex, keeping in mind that in six months there will be a new concept not only for a half of the territory, but for 3-4 more buildings.

The description of the Academic Centre frequently contains the phrasing “one of the most modern centres in the Baltics and Europe”. What advanced and contemporary facilities will be featured by the House of Letters?

The House of Letters will be well considered and utilitarian; it is not intended to be a representative building. The effort is invested to make the premises as ergonomic as possible, to meet the needs of students and staff. I would like to draw a particular attention the two wonderful atriums, both inside the building and adjoining to the facades, thus illuminating the interiors of the public area.

The two atriums will be surrounded by public areas – I would like to call these atriums the hearts of the House of Letters. The atriums will be several storeys high, forming a certain microenvironment. Above the first 3 floors, both atriums will be narrowed, thereby creating a microspace at the height of several floors, and thus there will be no large lightwells, which is frequently the case with high internal atria. The atriums will be inhabited, as they will be connected to office premises, auditoriums, and public spaces, lighting all these premises.

Will the faculties have any interior elements to distinguish them from each other?

Each of the large faculties will be located on its own floor. For example, the Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art will have a wonderful exhibition hall. University supporters have also been involved in the project of the hall, supporting it with donations. The House of Letters will have an auditorium of 500 seats with the possibility to divide it into two parts. It is planned that the UL Theatre will move to the House of Letters.

The dance collectives will have a rehearsal hall of 200 m², which will overlook the courtyard of the UL Centre. The Faculty of Theology will be endowed with a round meditation room. The House of Letters will also offer an open access library.

We are at the stage when the location of the premises has been endorsed by all faculties and institutes. We have devoted considerable time to planning, coordinating solutions and trying to agree on the optimum location of the premises.

Will the interior at the House of Letters have any particular elements of interior that would be especially attractive to students?

The House of Nature and the House of Science have served as the examples of interior principles, which we also want to introduce in the House of Letters, so the concept envisages the facilities on a par with the existing two buildings. Open access individual study rooms, microrooms permitting two or three people to isolate themselves and work. It should be noted that the programme is still tight, and the main challenges are the solutions for open access and public spaces with upholstered seating and organized study spaces. In any case, we are working on inventing improvements to surpass the solutions in the House of Nature and the House of Science. These two buildings are a good example, a benchmark, and we will not permit inferior design solutions.

We have received the first sketches of interiors, and we still have to work on them, but the direction is right.

Do you think that the House of Letters could contribute to strengthening the role of the humanities and social sciences in science?

Yes, of course. First of all, it will be an advantage when all faculties will be located within a single building, and cooperation between structural units will be possible not only in the House of Letters, but also across the Houses of Nature and Science. Thereby, we begin to regard the University of Latvia not as a scattered complex but a solid, interrelated unit, yielding much more productive symbiosis and collaboration. Most of the faculties will be located in a single, united environment. It will create an aura and a feeling of being together, which give strength. These will no longer be scattered faculties; they will merge together. Two plus two is no longer four, but instead – five, this is the new formula of efficiency.

As you have already noted, one of the core values of the Academic Centre is the synergy of multiple scientific areas. Could it be said that the opening of the House of Letters will fully ensure the opportunities for collaboration amongst researchers and scientists?

Yes, exactly. It will be ensured that the auditoriums located in all three buildings will be used for the needs of different faculties, and the auditoriums of the House of Nature and the House of Science will be available to the students of the House of Letters, if necessary. Given that it is only a 2-minute walk, all resources and facilities will be optimized. We will ensure that the premises to be constructed are used to maximum advantage.

What benefits will the House of Letters bring to society, general public?

The House of Letters will become a home to the collections to be stored by the institutes. For example, the Institute of Latvian History with its collection of materials will be located in the House of Letters. Similarly, a part of the House of Letters will be publicly accessible, just like in the existing buildings of the Academic Centre, and much of our national heritage at the disposal of the UL will be stored at the House of Letters. This resource, in addition to being a crucial material for studies, is also useful to other interested parties.