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SRE: the renovation of the Latvian Puppet Theatre building will start this summer

13.07.2021
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In the procurement of SJSC “State Real Estate” for the renovation of the Latvian Puppet Theatre and improvement of energy efficiency at Kr. Barona Street 16/18, Riga, 3 applicants have applied. The works are planned to start this summer and be completed by the end of 2022. The aesthetic and technical condition of the building will be improved, theatre staff and visitors will be given a more pleasant working environment, at the same time achieving about 60% savings on heat energy, which will allow the savings to be diverted to other purposes, informs Renārs Griškevičs.

The following contractors have submitted tenders in the procurement: Association of persons "P un P", "RERE MEISTARI" and SIA "REVOHAUS". Contract prices offered - from 2.46 million euros to 2.89 million euros (excluding VAT). It will only be possible to talk about the winner of the procurement and the amount of the contract after evaluating the tenders.

During the construction works, the exterior walls, base, attic and roof of the building will be insulated, windows and wooden exterior doors will be replaced, the existing heating unit will be modernised, the heating system and ventilation system will be rebuilt and modernised. By insulating the roof and replacing its cover, the ceiling of the small hall will be raised for the convenience of both spectators and actors, which will provide an opportunity to diversify the range of performances available to spectators and also to stage the puppet play.

In addition, before the construction of the insulation, the load-bearing structures and foundations of the building will be strengthened, thus ensuring the sustainability of the results to be achieved within the energy efficiency improvement project and preventing damage to the building structures. In the course of the design work started last year, SRE had suspicions regarding the technical condition of the building structures, which could not be assessed sufficiently by visual inspection; therefore, before the design was completed, in 2020 an in-depth study of the building was carried out, confirming that the depreciation of the load-bearing structures of the building exceeds 40% and it was found to be unsatisfactory, as well as damage was found in the load-bearing structures of the building’s mezzanine floor. Therefore, it was decided to terminate the operation of certain premises and attract additional funding for strengthening the structures of the building.

The renovation project of the Latvian Puppet Theatre is financed from the funding attracted by the Ministry of Culture from the second round of project application, selection of the European Union funds Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” 4.2.1 of the specific support objective “To promote the increase of energy efficiency in public and residential buildings” and 4.2.1.2 of the specific support objective “To promote the increase of energy efficiency in public buildings” and state budget funds (including Covid-19 funding for stimulating the economy through investments in construction).

Building at Kr. Barona iela 16/18 has a cultural and historical value. In the two-storey building that was built in 1911, according to the project of architect Ernests Pole, a cinema, a pharmacy, a book printing and stamp workshop, a café and several shops were located. The Latvian Puppet Theatre has been operating here since 1944. The small building is located in the protection zone of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Riga”.

In the conditions of the pandemic, respecting the precautionary and safety requirements, work on 43 different construction sites of national importance with a total budget of 156 million euros continues under the leadership of SRE. SRE provides professional real estate management and administration for approximately 400 real estate properties with 1100 buildings of 1.02 million square metres and more than 3600 land properties with an area of 9.6 million square metres. The capital company is one of 23 Latvian companies that have received the highest platinum award in the evaluation of the Sustainability Index of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, confirming the good governance and sustainability of its operations. SRE was founded in 1996 and its sole (100%) shareholder is the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia.