Under the leadership of SJSC "State Real Estate” (SRE), reconstruction and renovation work continues on the interior of the “Arsenāls” Art Museum at 1 Torņa Street in Riga. The interior demolition work has been completed and the premises have now reached their planned size and scope. Roof demolition work is continuing and is scheduled for completion by the end of October this year, according to SRE board member Jeļena Gavrilova.
At the same time, roof construction work is underway, as well as repairs to cracks in the vaults and walls discovered during dismantling, and other construction work in accordance with the project. The construction project has been completed and a digital model of the construction project documentation has been created using BIM methodology and improvements made to the construction project previously developed by AD SPATIUM in 2021. Digital solutions have been created that allow us to glimpse the future vision of what the premises will look like after their renovation. The authors of the project solutions are SIA "ARH stadija" (Ltd.).
“Arsenāls” premises after renovation 360 (panoramic) photos:
Entrance hall
1st floor:
2nd floor:
“The renovation work at the “Arsenāls” is proceeding according to plan, in accordance with the project design and schedule. The completion of the renovation of the “Arsenāls” and its opening in the third quarter of 2028, when Latvia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, has been identified as an unquestionable priority for the Latvian National Museum of Art for the next five years. I definitely see that the “Arsenāls” has the potential to become an important venue for art events in Latvian and Baltic cultural life, with a program that focuses on contemporary art exhibitions and the targeted reflection of current events," says Māra Lāce, director of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
The renovation of the building will include restoration work, as well as reconstruction of the building's load-bearing structures, including the roof, partitions, basement, etc., interior finishing work, engineering networks, including ventilation, heating, climate control, power supply, low-voltage, control and automation systems, sound systems, security alarms, electronic communications networks, and video surveillance. It is also planned to install ventilation and climate control systems to create suitable conditions for the exhibition and storage of works of art, as well as to ensure comfort for the widest range of users of the building.
In parallel with the work inside the “Arsenāls”, construction of a rainwater drainage system has begun in the side courtyard between the Saeima building and the “Arsenāls” building, connecting the external rainwater system to the central rainwater drainage system, thus solving moisture problems in the basement rooms. To improve accessibility, the reconstruction of Torņa Street between Jēkaba Street and “Arsenāls” Street is planned for 2026. The reconstruction of Torņa Street will improve the quality of roads and sidewalks, making access to the art museum more convenient and safer for all visitors.
The construction work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027. A contract for the construction work has been signed with PS "P un S Būvniecība" for a contract price of EUR 13,629,031.97 excluding VAT (VAT EUR 2,862,096.71). The total funding for the project, including reallocation of appropriations, is EUR 19,564,108.06 including VAT, of which EUR 15,082,491.85 is ERDF funding.
The reconstruction and restoration project of the “Arsenāls” Art Museum is financed by the Ministry of Culture from the European Union Cohesion Policy Program for 2021–2027, 5.1.1. specific support objective "Promoting integrated social, economic and environmental development of local areas and cultural heritage, tourism and safety in urban functional areas" 5.1.1.5. Measure: ‘Restoration of unique European cultural heritage to promote its accessibility through the development of cultural services’.
In 2021, under the leadership of VNĪ, the first stage of the reconstruction of the "Arsenāls" was completed, which included the renovation of the building's facade, restoration of windows, and construction of foundation waterproofing.
“Arsenāls” is an example of classicist architecture, and the renovation project is part of the Ministry of Culture's regulatory framework for the preservation of unique cultural monuments of national importance located in the urban monument "Historic Centre of Riga" and at the same time within the territory of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Riga". Within the framework of this project, it is planned to develop five sites in the historic centre of Riga – the Great Guild, the "Arsenāls", Vaļņu Street and its surroundings, the Daugava embankment, as well as to create exhibitions of the Latvian National Museum of History in Riga Castle.
About SRE
Under the management of SJSC "State Real Estate", 110 projects are currently being implemented with a total investment of EUR 410 million. SRE provides professional real estate management and administration for a total of 3,530 properties, including 390 buildings and structures with a total area of 963,000 m2, as well as 6.21 million m2 of land under the buildings and 3,140 land properties with a total area of 8.66 million m2. In 2024, SRE received the platinum award of the Sustainability Index of the Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Institute for the fourth time, confirming the consistently high sustainability of its management and operations. The company was founded in 1996, its 100% shareholder is the Ministry of Finance.
Additional information for the media:
SRE “State Real Estate”
Corporate Communication and Sustainability Department
E-mail: komunikacija@vni.lv
Tel.: +371 20235301
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
