Hotel “Santaka” expansion

About object:

While designing the hotel “Santaka” in J. Gruodis str. 19 in Kaunas, the architects had an idea to build a wing to the hotel in a narrow plot near Smalininkai Street. The narrow as a slot plot attracted the authors of a project for the allusions to historical port warehouses that were abundant in the Old Town of Kaunas.

Thus the idea was born to create a tall sharp-roof form reminding of a port warehouse, however, to “sheath” it in to the modern garment of esthetics. The original wing cover was chosen – green copper plates-scales. The entire new volume was covered in them: not only the walls, but also the roof slopes. According to R. Palis, the wing had to be covered completely whilst standing near the old red brick and stucco buildings it had to be a stand-alone, unique, without elaborate details, like a cone or a grass-snake in nature.

The wing, covered with patina, became a fresh greenness between drab houses, thus enriching the surroundings with an original architectural object. In an annual exhibition-contest “The best projects of the year” in 2007, organized by Kaunas division of LAA, the authors of the project for this architectural inclusion were awarded a prize “For the best public object”.