CULTURAL SYNAPSE

Since the Soviets departed from Karosta in the nineties, a Ghost Town is left with less one fourth of the former population, an old prison, a beautiful Orthodox Cathedral, VERNACULAR farmsteads and empty BRUTALISTIC apartment blocks, of which the latter mainly determine the appearance of Karosta. However, due to the continuous growth in the region, INTERNATIONAL attention has been drawn to the Ghost Town. To overcome lingering challenges and hardships, an URBAN CORE is needed in the redevelopment plan of Karosta, that will act as a main attraction of the town and will help to bring back the life to this greater part of Liepaja city. 

In order to make a proposed CULTURAL CENTER function quite out of the blue - in fostering and coordinating cultural activities in the town, as well as in working as an attraction for both LOCALS AND TOURIST - it is necessary to define the qualities and failures of this region. Because of the diverse history and different cultures that have been in power, Liepaja’s region is a FRAGMENTED PATCHWORK in architecture, in landscape, in infrastructure, in industry and in cultural disciplines. Although, the high contrast between old and new is the typical and prosperous characteristic which is to be conserved as it is. Solely an OVERARCHING CONCEPT is needed, not only to retain, but also to excel these enriching cultural fragments. Karosta needs a fertile and self-assertive conjunction with Liepaja city and with its outer (inter)national span. 

CONCEPTUAL VISION 

We want to introduce our concept of the SYNAPSE. The cultural definition of a synapse is literally a gap between two nerve cells, in which nerve SIGNALS are sent across by neuroTRANSMITTERS. In our concept design the synapse can be explained on regional and urban scale, as well as on the proposed scene, each with actors on different levels. The active signals can be translated as the CULTURAL ACTIVITY taking place. 

On urban scale active signals are sent between the histo-rical hearth of Liepaja city and the former militairy, but future place-to-be, Karosta. The XENOGAMY between those two active locations works even more favorable through the use of the inbetween lying university campus. The existing INFRASTRUCTURE between those three transmitting location show the cultural activity which is or can be practised by both locals and tourists.  

On the proposed scene in Karosta, the synapse can be explained the same way. The existing infrastruc-ture is improved by EXTENDING Piestatnes street in a straight line with Botkina street, through which there is a more obvious infrastructure created from the future cultural complex towards the citycenter of Liepaja. By placing the functions of the required programme in an optimal position towards this new MAIN ROAD, fertile activity can take place between all involved transmitting functions of the complete Cultural Synapse in Karosta - from tourist information point and restaurant, to the striking conference hall, ultimately to the library with a view towards the cathedral. To complete the cultural active infrastructure, a MEDIALAB and WORKSPACES to the programme are added, which will be situated in the apartments block planned to be demolished. By adding these workspaces for designers and other creatives, the traditional Latvian CRAFTS (citycenter) are being merged with the MULTIMEDIA skills which typify the present and the future (Cultural Synapse). 

ARCHITECTURAL VISION 

The overall concept is completed with an architectural vision that deepens further into this latter time frequency. The programme requirements are ideally divided among PAST (conserving traditions) or FUTURE (looking forward, growth and revitalization). The present is left out of this division, since - in its turn - the present is were the synapse takes place between past and future. 

In order to make this concept architecturally visible, the PRINCIPLES of two characteristic architectural styles will be used, which are common in the region of Liepaja: the traditional wooden farmsteads and the Soviet or Brutalist apartment blocks. As shown in the diagrams below, the construction principles are SKIN versus HULL. Likely, the skin represents the past, as the hull represents the future. Since the library and the restaurant are conserving traditions in forms of knowledge and archives (library); agricultural skills and cooking traditions (restaurant), those functions will be placed in a PROTECTIVE skin. On the opposite, the tourist information point and the conference are representatives of the future: they inform and accomodate the predicted continuous flow of locals and tourist, desiring for cultural activity. Those buildings need to be literally OVERT and able to look forward through a solid base, a hull construction. 

To complete the overall concept, the entrance of each building is orientated towards the representing areas: those of the library and the restaurant lie in a straight line with the historical CITYCENTER, as the entrances of the tourist information point and the conference hall point out the the international NAVAL PORT.