At the beginning of September, more than half of the construction work planned in the project has already been completed at the Valmiera Drama Theatre (VDT), including the construction of the building's facade and roof, as well as the insulation of the external walls of the "Black Box", plaster ensuring good acoustics has been created for the internal walls of the hall, and work is underway on the construction of engineering systems throughout the theater building, informs Jeļena Gavrilova, member of the board of SJSC "State Real Estate" (SRE).
"With the installation of aluminum window frames for the part of the building along Lāčplēša Street, the renovated silhouette of the theater is already clearly visible, which will delight Valmiera residents and theater visitors in the future. The pace of construction work is really good. We are confident that in the second half of next year, theater employees will be able to fully return to their homes and use all the rooms, which will be renovated and made much more energy-efficient," emphasizes Gavrilova.
Much of the external wall tiling, decorative plastering and roof construction work has already been completed at the facility, foundation insulation, and construction of engineering communications (heating, ventilation, air cooling, electrical networks) will continue. By the end of November this year, it is planned to fully complete the construction of the building's roof and facades, while continuing work on the interior of the building.
Evita Ašeradena assures that the work is progressing rapidly and soon there will be no need to worry about rainwater pouring into the Round Hall or elsewhere: “However, there is still a lot of work to do, currently the entire building is also covered in construction dust on the inside. I admire the patience of the builders and theater employees, taking each other into account on a daily basis and living together without deviating from the plan. And what has been done is very inspiring.”
A contract was signed with SIA “AIMASA” (Ltd.) for the implementation of the VDT building construction project until the facility was put into operation in May of this year. The builder must complete the work within fourteen months from the date of conclusion of the contract. Since the construction company had already worked on the construction site before, the reconstruction work of the VDT building continued without interruption and already in 2024 both the theater team and the audience will be able to evaluate the work done during the reconstruction.
The beginnings of the theater in Valmiera can be traced back to the 19th century. In the 80s, when the Latvian Society House was built and a theater was founded at the society. The year of the VDT’s birthday is considered to be 1923, when regular professional theater performances began in Valmiera. At the end of the 80s, the old theater building was demolished and the construction of a new building began on the site of the former Latvian Society House.
The VDT building, built according to the project of architects M. Ģelžs, O. Upaciere and J. Gusevs, is today a valuable example of modern architecture of its time and a cultural and historical object. It was built as a large-scale modern brick building with two halls, a theater museum, an art salon and a cafe. The main - Great - hall of the building opened its doors to audiences in late 1996, but the theater building as a whole was put into operation only in December 2004.
After the reconstruction is completed in the first half of 2024, the VDT building will have increased energy efficiency and improved energy management, a more comfortable working environment for theater employees, a new “Black box” hall will be built, as well as improved environmental accessibility. The planned total cost of the VDT project is 10.41 million euros (which includes construction, design, author supervision, equipment purchase, etc. costs).
The procurement of construction works is being implemented within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project “Improving energy efficiency in the Valmiera Drama Theatre at Lāčplēša Street 4, Valmiera” (ID No. 4.2.1.2/18/I/019). The construction works will be implemented with the co-financing of the European Union within the framework of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” 4.2.1. specific support objective “Promote the improvement of energy efficiency in public and residential buildings” 4.2.1.2. measure “Promote the improvement of energy efficiency in public buildings”.
Additional information for the media:
SJSC "State Real Estate"
Corporate Communications and Sustainability Department
Tel.: +371 20235301
E-mail: komunikacija@vni.lv
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
