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Zaha Hadid Architects to begin construction on curving towers in Lithuania

2023-02-14T10:56:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects is moving forward with a set of low-rise towers in Vilnius, Lithuania. Titled the Vilnius Business Stadium, the scheme is comprised of two towers of eight and nine stories connected at street level by a courtyard atrium and two floors of public amenities.

Image credit: Frontop for Zaha Hadid Architects

The 258,000-square-foot scheme is defined by its sweeping form, with both the curvature of the facades and cantilevered balconies facing toward the city’s historic Gediminas Castle Tower. Described by the design team as “reinterpreting the dynamic geometries of the neighborhood’s existing civic architecture,” the center’s built form is complimented by 126,000 square feet of landscaped terraces, roof gardens, and plazas that open directly onto a Martha Schwartz-designed public square.

Image credit: Frontop for Zaha Hadid Architects

The central floors of each tower house office spaces of differing sizes and layouts. The floorplates connect to landscaped terraces and ...

Portals in Lithuania and Poland allow people to connect with each other in real time

2021-06-08T17:33:00-04:00

Physical “portals” are up and running, allowing residents of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius and Lublin, Poland to connect in real-time. The two cities are the first to connect through PORTAL, a non-profit initiative by Go Vilnius, the capital’s development agency. The project aims to construct visual bridges across the world in order to bring people of different cultures together.

A portal in Lublin, Poland displaying the image of a man in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo: Go Vilnius

The first portals were installed on May 26th, one outside the Vilnius Railway Station and the other 375 miles away in Lublin, Poland. The structures take the shape of circular windows that are equipped with large screens and cameras that broadcast live views between the two cities. According to its organizers, PORTAL is meant to encourage people to rethink the feeling and meaning of unity.

Photo: Go Vilnius

“Humanity is facing a lot of potentially deadly challenges, be it social polarization, climate change,...

Studio Daniel Libeskind's MO Modern Art Museum in Vilnius opens to the public

2018-10-18T02:00:00-04:00

The Studio Daniel Libeskind-designed MO Modern Art Museum in central Vilnius opened its doors to the public today. At 3,100 m2, the building — which is also Lithuania's largest private museum — houses nearly 5,000 never-before-seen works by Lithuanian artists from the mid-20th century to the present. Studio Libeskind teamed up with locally based Do Architects and Baltic Engineers for the project.

Located in historic Vilnius, the museum's design pays tribute to its past and present. Its rectilinear exterior facade is clad in luminous white plaster as a reference to local materials in the city, according to Studio Libeskind. The minimalist facade is contrasted with a dramatic open staircase that intersects the building on a diagonal axis.

Photo © Norbert Tukaj.

Photo © Hufton + Crow.

The staircase leads to a stepped open-air terraced roof that serves as a gathering space for public performances and events. A 5-meter fully glazed, cantilevered wall provides views o...

Daniel Libeskind to design shiny mixed-use building in Vilnius

2016-07-15T21:25:00-04:00

Daniel Libeskind is making his mark — in all its signature jagged, geometric wonder — throughout the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. In addition to the Modern Art Centre of Vilnius and the Vilnius Beacon sports and wellness center at the Liepkalnis ski resort, Studio Libeskind won the competition to design a new mixed-use building complex on Konstitucijos Avenue 18B. Libeskind's winning scheme is a progression of glassy volumes — with the tallest tower reaching 18-stories

Get a glimpse of their winning scheme on Bustler.

Hip Cities That Think About How They Work

2011-11-23T11:46:07-05:00

This survey is not based solely on quality of life, number of trees or the cost of a month’s rent. Instead, we examine some cities that aim to be both smart and well managed, yet have an undeniably hip vibe. Our pick of cities that are, in a phrase, both great and good...

The NYT selects Auckland, Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Santiago, Shanghai and Vilnius as the hippest cities for young professionals.