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Architects: SAALS Architecture
- Area: 9000 m²
- Year: 2012
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Photographs:Valts Kleins
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Lead Architects: Maris Krumins, Rasa Kleina
Text description provided by the architects. Malta, a town in Latvia, could be hardly compared to its southern namesake in terms of climate, however, its landscape is equally beautiful. Architects Maris Krumins and Rasa Kleina from SAALS did for the convert of a soviet-ties school building and multifunctional hall newbuilding. School buildings had been recently renovated, according to EU structural fund rules it is forbidden to carry out any transformations for a period of five years. Consequently, the newbuild stands out as the most successful object in visual terms. The newly-built multifunctional hall is situated in the center of the complex and joins all blocks, providing access to the hall either through indoors which is especialy important for children heading towards the dining room and sports hall in the cold season, or separately, through hall's main entrance.
Building’s volumes are of different hight and create an original composition as viewed from each angle, the sight merging with surroudings. The facade presents a contrasting color design of blue, orangem, red and green while its wooden finish creates a visual transition from the surface in one color into another one. Each facade is in its own color. In order that color presence was not too glaring, there is a double facade of diagonally arranged wooden laths subduing industrially painted sandwich panel walls with their nautral greyish tint.
In order that wooden finish was sustainable, project authors have dedicated much time for studying wood processing agents, and, as a result, wooden parts in the facade were treated with iron sulfate. This method has been used in wooden facade construction for years and will ensure its sustainability. Due to architectural formation and double finish design, facades have acquired a dynamic and playful aspect: when light conditions and visitor’s viewpoint change, color nuances change as well, presenting interesting reference to the coloring of surrounding buildings.
In limited budget conditions one has to carry out interior renovation with minimum expense. On each gloor of school blocks, white interior walls accentuaate some of the colour ints employed in sandwich panel coloring facilitation orientation in the building for students. Interior design was not included in project tender, however, architects created an interior that, in contrast to outdoor colurfulness, is laconic black-and-white. Hall intended for events and concerts in separated from a two-level canteen and cafe space with foldable black painted wooden panels walls. They can be opened or closed to adjust the hall according to the event’s scale or other needs.
