Administrative Building “Merchants’ House”

About object:

The approaches to the Lukiškės Square in Vilnius City have been supplemented with a first-class office centre correspondent with the important place. The complex consists of historical constructions and the new addition contrasting to them.

The reconstruction of the secessic, rich in its history building of the Merchants’ Club (architect M. Prozorov, 1913) may be regarded as a case of careful restoration.

The new part contrasts with the historical building by its style, materials and textures, but accords by the rhythms of façades. An ornamental façade picture that is also repetitive in the interior provides the building with not only a three-dimensional depth, but at the same it is a constructive element. The duplex façade system of the new addition with opening windows and ventilated gaps protects it from noise, controls the sunlight and heat and saves energy resources.

Semantically distinguishable historical and newly designed parts of an inner water pool are connected through a narrow insert “coupled” by bridges, which outgrows into a dramatic inner atrium of the full complex height.

Considering the overall quality of the restoration works, architecture, construction and engineering solutions, the complex may be attributed to the most successful implementations of the late years.

M. Mankus