Zaha Hadid's Business Stadium Central in Vilnius, Lithuania Receives Planning Approval

Written by Christele Harrouk
Published on February 14, 2023

The Zaha Hadid-designed Business Stadium Central has been granted approval by the City of Vilnius. In collaboration with Lithuanian developer Hanner, the project seeks to become a new gathering place for the city, creating a variety of new public spaces and amenities with flexible workplaces as well as health and wellness facilities for everyone in Vilnius. Construction is scheduled for the second quarter of this year.

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Integrated within Vilnius’ City Plan, the 24,000 sq. m Business Stadium Central design consists of two low-rise towers of 8 and 9 storeys, connected at street level by a courtyard atrium, and by a sky bridge at level five. Facing the historic Gediminas Castle Tower in the heart of the city, the project reinterprets the “dynamic geometries of the neighbourhood’s existing civic architecture”. Within the central floors of each of the towers, flexible office spaces of different sizes and layouts, are designed to ensure maximum adaptability. Connected with landscaped roof gardens and terraces, these workplaces can accommodate a variety of companies.

“Sustainable building systems will reduce the development’s embodied carbon in construction and its energy use in operation”, explains the brief. In order to reduce direct exposure to the sun during certain periods while optimizing solar heat in colder stages, the façade’s louvres and balconies have been conceived according to the alignment of the sun. Moreover, using natural hybrid ventilation, high-efficiency heat exchange and recovery systems will reduce energy consumption.

Digital optimization design processes have minimised the amount of materials required for the structure and are integrated with procurement systems that increase the project’s recycled content. The timber for the interiors will be from certified local sources and included within the project’s overall supply chains that have been established to reduce delivery distances. All specified materials are evaluated to enable disassembly and reuse at the end of the building’s operational life. -- ZHA

Also in Vilnius, Zaha Hadid Architects are currently working on the redevelopment of the railway station complex and surrounding area in Lithuania. In fact, their proposal entitled ‘Green Connect’ ranked first in the international design competition, because it was aligned with the city’s ongoing sustainability agenda.