Riga Makerspace is located in a historic building at Aristīda Briāna Street 13, designed by architect Roberts Augusts Pflūgs in 1880. It was once a laundry, a thread factory, and the Riga Light Industry Technical School. With funding from the EU funds attracted by the Ministry of Culture, the building has undergone an extensive reconstruction, transforming it into a significant centre for Latvia's creative industries, entrepreneurship, and education.
In workshops for metalworking, woodworking, textiles, and other fields, which are suitable for students of the Art Academy of Latvia and Riga Design and Art Secondary School, it is possible to improve skills and develop abilities using prototyping - methods for producing samples of new products. Riga Makerspace is a platform for supporting young talents, providing opportunities for aspiring artists and designers to work with modern technologies, such as 3D printers, laser cutting devices, etc., in modern workshops. Over the next year, the range of opportunities is expected to expand, continuously promoting Riga Makerspace as a laboratory of inspiration where creativity meets technology.
The Ministry of Culture invested approximately 12 million euros in the project, with nearly half of that amount, almost 6 million euros, coming from the European Regional Development Fund's Growth and Employment program. The project was implemented by the SJSC “State Real Estate”. The project was developed by the firm Arhitektu birojs Krasts Ltd., and the construction work was carried out by the general partnership P un S Būvniecība.
Riga Makerspace is one of five projects implemented under the EU fund program to promote the revitalization of the city of Riga by ensuring the effective socio-economic use of the territory.
https://youtu.be/ZhoFM3bEVDM?si=mJRKPz0qthzmTjDG
