When approaching the Congress Hall, you can see that only members of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra are allowed to enter. The concierge sends the others outside. The Congress Hall is now managed by the Riga municipal corporation Rīgas nami. Its representatives explained that the Congress House is currently closed and, according to the agreement, is used by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra for its rehearsals.
Last December, the winner of the competition for the redevelopment of the Riga Philharmonic Hall was announced. It is a multi-partner partnership of Mark Architects, Mailītis A.I.I.M., and Labie koki. During the announcement of the winners of the design competition, it was also announced that the aim was to develop a construction project this year and the next. Almost a year has now passed, but the contract with the architects has not yet been signed.
The Ministry of Culture (KM) said that the Rīga City Council is currently conducting a negotiation procedure to conclude a construction design contract. Dace Vilsone, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, said that the negotiation procedure is in its final stage:
"We still have one more funding approval to do from the Ministry of Culture. Then we will move to a new stage. After that, we will start the construction design, which is planned to take two years. During this period, a full construction project will be drawn up so that the next stage, the procurement of the works, can begin.
The full funding for the construction project, which is €4.2 million including taxes, is currently to be approved. This is in the final stages of the finalization process, Vilsone said.
The process of concluding the contract with the architects' office is coordinated by the Riga City Council, which is also carrying out the negotiation procedure. The State Secretary of the KM said that the work is being carried out according to the City Council's timetable. The contract is expected to be signed later this year.
As for the total financing of the project, the amount that has already been forecast on the basis of the call for tenders and the design program is around €70 million. Once the construction design is ready, the exact construction costs will be known.
Mark Arhitekti, which won the tender, hopes to complete all the formalities and start the project at full capacity this year, said Jānis Sauka, the lead architect at the design firm:
"We are aiming to conclude the contract this year and start working on this important project with full capacity and full zeal. The project itself will take about a year for the minimum construction design and then another year for further technical details for the full construction design. In total, it could be two years."
The Ministry of Culture has promised to set up a Supervisory Board, which would not allow hasty decisions but would evaluate every step of the project.
