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Architects: DO Architects
- Area: 2650 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Lukas Jusas, Emilija Deksnytė
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Manufacturers: Reynaers Aluminium, Archicad, Korgas
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Lead Architects: Andrė Baldišiūtė, Sabina Grincevičiūtė, Kotryna Urbonaitė
"The Concrete factory” is a place where industrial meets creative. The building is situated in the old industrial district of the capital city Vilnius. A former industrial territory was entirely dedicated to making various concrete elements for housing blocks that were widely built around the country during the Soviet period. After the fall of the soviet union, the area got abandoned and scattered, however, most of its distinct character industrial buildings remained untouched.
“The Concrete factory” is the first reconstruction of the building, designed to push the reimagining of the entire territory. Unfortunately, after the closure of the plant some of the building history has been remodeled. Thus, our goal in re-designing this building was to restore what was once there yet using the modern understanding of space, function, and sustainability. The backbone for this project was the conceptual beauty of all historic layers, construction elements, industrial machinery elements, and vision for all districts. Our aim was to create a synergy between the industrial environment and human-scaled architecture for everyday life.
Architecturally, the building needed to be restored to the original factory plan and spatial design principles. Recently the space was compressed and divided into small separate rooms. The full ceiling height was first opened, and the original window openings were restored. The large building is divided into segments for office tenants in a way that preserves and emphasizes the long building façade: interior windows with doors are created. A perspective from the first office can be seen until the end of the building. Interior elements like that soften the industrial design as well as helps bring the community of “The Concrete Factory” together. Every day you meet colleagues from other offices not only outdoors, but also inside. It also keeps the factory flexible for changes.
An important part of the emotion of the interior is created in relation to the outdoor structures. Views outside the windows are not your typical office view: you can see train railways (which we plan to reconstruct into a railway park), and Silos towers are visible from workplaces. The outdoor pipes enter the interior and create a seamless space concept.
Each office is created in the concept of home. In addition to typical workspaces, the large living spaces are planned, which, like our home, have a kitchen, and corners for relaxation, hobbies, communication, and laughter. In the office of architects, the living room space has the tallest ceiling in the building reaching up to 9m. This space could have been divided into several floors, but we have decided that the true luxury of the interior is the infinite value and impression of this height. Soft home elements create an interior where everyone feels at welcome: bookshelves, a fireplace, and large Persian carpets.
The materials used in the interior balance the heaviness of the industrial environment: natural plywood and wood are key tools. They are used for furniture, windowsills, and glass partition frames. For other solutions, we continue the historical materiality of this building: blackened metal is used, as concrete. All wiring and engineering systems run openly and allow flexibility to create space as needed.
