Architect：Studio Seilern Architects;UAB Archinova

Location：Vilnius, Lithuania; | ;

Category：Offices;Housing

Steeped in history, Studio Seilern’s Boksto 6 is deemed a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site and overlooks one of the oldest streets in the historic centre of Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius.

The mixed-use complex seeks to rejuvenate the derelict site and its surroundings by creating a sense of place. The concept combines restoring the baroque and gothic buildings, vacant since 1999, to the original fabric, whilst acknowledging that the scars and the aging of the buildings are a natural asset that should also be preserved, rather than masked over. With such a rich, varied and protected history, our restoration concept became crucial: any new build will be confident and carefully considered insertions into the historic fabric of the site, and where possible the historic elements of the site will be restored and preserved.

The scheme incorporates a performing arts space, jazz bar/ restaurant, spa, residential and office accommodation and landscaped gardens, which aims to be a cultural destination that celebrates its historic past and its renaissance. The design response accounts for the fitness of the existing buildings for modern living, local building regulations and the requirement for returning the density of the site to its historical precedents.

Proposed new build elements reinforce the unity and balance of the site as an overall complex and makes clear what is new and what is old, and where restoration or replacement has taken place. Rather than extensions, the new build elements are considered as insertions.

These insertions aim to evoke rather than replicate the historical fabric. While uncompromisingly contemporary, these insertions are a direct response to the context, integrating the overall complex through landscaping, proportional massing and the use of reflective materials to mirror the surrounding context. ‘The existing Baroque and Gothic fabric is the most valuable asset of the complex, and should be reinstated to its original form’ explained Christina Sailern, founder of Studio Seilern Architects.

The roof is a construction of vertical steel slats that reveal areas of glazing underneath. This allows the roof openings to be integrated into the roofing system. The glass and skylights are behind the oxidised steel screen, and are only revealed through the vertical arrangement. Due to the height and angle of the roof, this mitigates the glass from being visible from the street.

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