The State Construction Control Bureau accepted the first stage works of Mezaparks Great Bandstand Phase B construction, as a result of which the new bandstand building and dome have been built, as well as the adjacent infrastructure – security unit, engineering systems, surrounding roads and landscaping works.
Rihards Rusins, the Deputy Head of the Property Department of the Riga City Council and the Head of the Construction Administration: “Today we are truly pleased about what is done together. The capital of Latvia, Riga, now has a unique facility that will become the home of modern culture events. Today, I would like to thank the architects and builders, especially the strong engineering staff, for their collaboration in the development of complex construction processes and solutions, resulting in the designed building.”
Mezaparks Great Bandstand takes the form of the Silver Grove on the Hill of Songs as designed by architects Juris Poga and Austris Mailītis, with branched “tree patterns” and other metal structures made of 1,766.4 tons of metal. The unique structure is made of columns and trusses and reaches towards the sky up to 35.8 meters. There are 510 acoustic shields hanged in the metal trusses. Therefore, the project is unique in Europe and truly complex, with an individual acoustic solution.
Despite the emergency situation and certain restrictions and additional precautions throughout the country, the planned work is completed ahead of schedule. Valdis Koks, the Project Director from General Partnership “LNK, RERE”, emphasizes: “Knowing the importance of the Song Festival, we adhered to the plan to complete all work by 18th June 2020, which we had promised the commissioning party – the Property Department of the Riga City Council, by signing the contract on 15th August 2018. Although the pandemic caused some challenges in the construction process, the team’s dedication as well as the responsible approach of the cooperation partners and persistent work in several shifts towards the result allowed us to achieve the goal even in such dire circumstances. It should be noted that the work in Mezaparks is only one small part of the overall process, which includes production, delivery and assembly of materials that were partly done outside Latvia; for example, metal structures were manufactured and delivered from a factory in Hungary. However, today I truly appreciate everybody who were involved in the construction work and I am pleased about what we managed to do together in such a short and tense span of time; as a result of our efforts, Latvia will now have a world-class facility.”
The new bandstand will accommodate 12,874 choir singers, which is almost twice as much as before, as well as dancers on the expanded dance floor. After the reconstruction, the bandstand will be more convenient, accessible and safe for the participants of the festival. The arrangement of steps and seats is especially well thought out – the steps are made of reinforced concrete structures, while the seats take the shape of removable wooden benches with a special protective layer. There is an adiabatic system installed in the bandstand, which will allow the singers to cool down in hot weather by cooling the heated air with the help of water mist.
The construction project for Phase B of the reconstruction of Mezaparks Grand Bandstand was divided into two stages: Stage 1 aiming to ensure the XII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival planned for 2020; Stage 2 aiming to accomplish full implementation of the construction project in 2023 in order to prepare in time for the XXVII Song and XVII Dance Festival. However, during the emergency situation announced in most of the countries, the time of the festivals was postponed by one year and the planned construction deadlines were also changed.
The renovation of Mezaparks Grand Bandstand began on 11th March 2016, when Riga Municipality and the Latvian National Cultural Center signed an agreement with the architectural offices of Juris Poga and Austris Mailītis on the development of a construction project.
