Koya Restaurant & Lodge in Riga. Project by Open AD.

The Zana Tetere Open Architecture and Design team took an abandoned warehouse in the old docklands of Riga, Latvia and turned it into a restaurant that builds on the strength of the panoramic setting.



It was little more than a brick shack but now, thanks to the treatment it has been given by the Open Architecture and Design architecture studio, it has been given a new lease of life, becoming one of Riga’s “in” restaurants.



A visit here is a must, also in view of the fact that this Latvian town will be European Capital of Culture in 2014.



This restaurant is now all the rage, but until last year it was just one of many abandoned, graffiti-covered buildings in the Andrejsala district, former docklands on the banks of the Daugava river, offering with spectacular views of the old town of Riga and of the tourist marina.



The city council decided to encourage works that would redevelop this industrial zone because of its strategic and panoramic position.





The idea behind the project by Open AD is to take advantage of the urban context and the composition focuses on this. The work centres around the terrace, protected by glass windows and extending the interior space, where traces of the old building can still seen, including the brickwork on the side walls. The ceiling is clad with old, recovered timber planks that create a pleasing contrast with the concrete floor.



Another important example of how aware architecture that recovers abandoned zones can become the driving force behind urban development, to the advantage of the townspeople.

Project: Open Architecture and Design, http://openad.lv
Architect, designer Zane Tetere; designer Elina Tetere, architect-assistant Dins Vecans
Location: Riga, Lithuania
Year: 2012
Photos: Maris Lagzdins
Link: http://www.koyarestaurant.com