Do Architects
Ogmios City public space and urban transformation. Category: multifunctional quarter Design: from 2013
Construction: from 2014
Address: Verkių g. 29, Vilnius
Architects: Andrė Baldišiūtė, Gilma Teodora Gylytė, Gediminas Aismontas, Ieva Marija Malinauskaitė
The energetic Do Architects collective actively participates in architectural and urban competitions, organize prospective studies, interior design projects and can boast about several unique projects underway at this time. In 2007, the firm established by Andrė Baldišiūtė (born 1980) began its activities as Andrė Baldi architektūra-urbanistika. It grew and transformed into Do Architects which attracts young architects and has brought together a strong team of creators.
Ogmios City – is a retail, commercial district that was established on a former Soviet army base. This part of the city was one of the first to undergo an urban revitalisation after Lithuania regained its independence. In the 1990s, this former army town situated next to a blocking apartment housing district was searching for a new identity and caught the attention of several architects and urbanists. Because the district was one of the first examples of revitalisation, there were unavoidable mistakes and spontaneous decisions made, so what is happening now can be called a second wave of transformation.
This site relatively close to the centre of the city is one of the largest commercial districts in the Baltics. Former Soviet buildings are adapted for new uses, and the sheer number of them requires a gradual transformation and a long-term vision. At this time, the site is being developed guided by the city within a city concept – the architects are trying to improve individual areas, regenerate the public spaces and attract people not just to shop, but to also for recreation and to spend their free time here. The project’s success is dependent on a comprehensive view of the location’s issues – the design of attractive public spaces has to be realised together with the functional changes of the location, with the appearance of cafes, and specialised shopping or places of entertainment. This is not a finite project, but a continuous creative process that is being gradually expanded in this 12-ha site.