Riga Urban Center Masterplan (Tenosique, Mexico, 2007)
The site is located on formal industrial grounds on the west bank of the Daugava river in Riga, Latvia. In a moment when the economy was growing but the demographics weren’t following, the calculus was that the project should have enough critical mass to jumpstart the rest of the site’s development. Though seemingly foreign, the project establishes a series of contextual connections with its surroundings. First, inspired by Latvian architect Gunnar Birkerts’ design for the new national library building to be located on the site, the project proposes a “negative skyline” based on a void echoing the library’s distinctive silhouette and the surrounding landscape. Second, the five highrises in the proposal are located following the position of Riga’s spires--the city’s only landmarks. In this way, the compound acts as a synecdoche of the city. Lastly, in a nod to global, telegenetic culture, the building footprint, shaped as an “R,” is meant to be readily legible from satellite imagery.
Project team:
Daniel Daou, Gabriel Morales, Marisol Moreno, Elena Tudela, Iván Flores