The plans of the investment company "Lords LB Asset Management" to implement a large office and apartment project on the former territory of the "Audeja" factory in Markučiai, Vilnius, have attracted criticism from both the city government and the community.
The government misses the architectural character of the project, while the community of the neighboring quarters does not understand the so-called proposed by the developers co-living advantages of the concept. The developers and architects of the project reassure and say that the experts' comments will be taken into account, and the viability and benefits of the new concept for the city and its residents are shown by analysis and needs studies.
Developers: the project will definitely pay off
Lords LB Special Fund III's subsidiary company "Vilnius miesto projektai" intends to build two 3 thous. sq. meters of total area of 43,7-story office buildings and 5 thousand sq. meters of total area, six 25,7-5-story apartment buildings, where more than 7 one- to three-room apartments would be installed.
According to the project concept, the majority of apartments - 452 - will not be for sale, but for long-term or short-term rent. The remaining 56 apartments could be sold to permanent residents.
The developers of the project are convinced that this concept of real estate development, which is rapidly gaining popularity in the world, is the so-called co-living, when hotel services are provided in an apartment building, and common spaces and services, such as housekeeping, are taken care of by the building administrator, more reflects the modern way of life in the city.
To the criticism of skeptics that the purpose of the hotel apartment buildings will eventually be sold, the developers say that the complex will be indivisible and will be maintained and administered by an office and apartment rental company.
"There is no chance that this project will fail. If necessary, we will adjust the rental price to make our apartments for rent competitive. We have assessed the situation in the market, analyzed the context of the surrounding territories, so in the worst case we will have lower rental income", said Giedrius Bernotas, director of "Vilnius City Projects" at the project's public hearing last week.
Criticism of heavy traffic
However, the developers of the project received the most questions and criticism from the future residents of the block and the surrounding community regarding the number of parking spaces, their location and future traffic flows.
In total, the complex will have more than 800 parking spaces, the majority of which are underground, and a smart parking system will be installed, allowing for intelligent and sustainable use of spaces. For example, 125 spaces will be reserved for residents, but they will be able to use more than 500 spaces reserved for office workers during non-working hours.
The developers of the project are convinced that it is normal to allocate 125 parking spaces for 500 apartments, because the complex will be only 1,5 kilometers from the city center, and public transport is nearby.
Povilas Čepaitis, the project manager of the architecture studio "Unitectus", which designed the complex on behalf of the builder, says that the study carried out by VGTU researchers assessed how people's habits will change, how many residents of the future quarter will use their own and how much - public transport, how the infrastructure should change so that the traffic capacity around it is sufficient .
"According to the conclusions of this study, after fixing the connection of Manufaktūr Street in the main quarter to the traffic light intersection of Drujas Street, the traffic capacity would increase from the current maximum of 3800 cars per hour to 5100. According to the scientific study, this would be enough to serve the entire territory when not only ours, but and projects of other developers", P. Čepaitis said at the meeting with the public
The urban architect does not want unsightly large-scale panels
The chief architect of Vilnius, Mindaugas Pakalnis, welcomes the development in the former industrial part of the capital, but misses the architectural character of the complex.
"Near the Old Town and the center, there is a lack of residential housing, so projects such as the multi-functional complex on Drujas Street can be considered a positive phenomenon. But at the same time, it is very important that the conversion of the former industrial district taking place here meets the general spirit and requirements of the changes taking place in Vilnius," M. Pakalnis told BNS.
"We would also like the houses designed here not to be in blocks, but to have individual architecture and not to resemble the old large-scale flats, but to form vibrant parts of the city with different functions and services," he added.
The developers of the project claim that in the architecture of the complex and even in the choice of materials, they wanted to indirectly reflect the past of the industry that has been here for centuries. However, they admit that architecturally the project can still be improved, taking into account the future conclusions of the Vilnius Regional Architecture Council.
The municipality of the capital intends to submit the project for evaluation by the council. M. Pakalnis said in a statement issued last week that there are high expectations for this place - the project will be compared with the nearby Paupia, so its architectural quality is extremely important, especially since it was created by a team of architects who have successfully designed several large objects in Vilnius.
According to M. Pakalnis, a note was made to the authors of the project regarding the adaptation of the first floors of buildings to different functions and services, it is expected that priority will be given to pedestrians and cyclists on the streets.
In addition, the municipality plans to negotiate the purchase or lease of the project premises and to install a kindergarten or other educational institutions in them.
It was announced that the investments of the "Lords LB Asset Management" fund in Markučiai will amount to about 105 million. euros, a multifunctional complex with administrative and residential quarters will be built here.
"Vilniaus miesto projektai" manages the majority of the territory sold to "Audejo" in early 2016 on Drujos Street - it has 30 square meters. sq. meters of buildings that housed a furniture fabric factory and a shop. Its previous managing company, VPH, planned 60 mln. project of the shopping center "Central Mall" worth EUR.
