2018
First phase of Mežaparks Great Bandstand reconstruction completed
First phase of Mežaparks Great Bandstand reconstruction completed
On 7 June 2018, 11 days before the contract deadline, the first phase of the Mežaparks Great Bandstand reconstruction was commissioned. The first phase included reconstruction of the Mežaparks Great Bandstand adapting it for the XXVI Latvian Song and XVI Dance Festival in 2018.
After the reconstruction, the Mežaparks Great Bandstand site has gained about 50,000 sq. m and now covers 146,430 sq. m. For the XXVI Latvian Song and XVI Dance Festival, choir stands were extended by 2292 places using temporary wooden structures and now can accommodate almost 10,000 singers. At the same time, the expanded spectator field area is now 22,197 with 30,557 spectator seats in comparison with previous 23,000.
The reconstruction project also included construction of new participant gathering areas, installation of water supply connection, additional mobile toilet areas and mobile trade sites along Ostas Prospekts and Atputas Aleja. Power supply will also be installed at the side of Ostas Prospekts.
In the first phase of the Bandstand reconstruction, Moduls Engineering performed the following installation work:
- internal utility network for water supply and sewage, heating and ventilation, power supply and lighting;
- automated fire detection and alarm system;
- fire extinguishing water pipeline, central public address system, electronic communication and security system;
- exterior utility network for power supply and lighting, video surveillance and communication conduits;
- supply and installation of the system for spectator benches with EAN barcode plates for accounting system.
This was one of the project with a relatively short term, under 14 months. It was only on the 20th of April last year when an agreement for the first reconstruction phase was signed on the stage of the Mežaparks Great Bandstand with Rīga City Council Property Department as the customer and unlimited partnership LNK, RE RE as the contractor.
The opening ceremony gathered Minister of Culture Dace Melbārde, Rīga Mayor Nils Ušakovs, Deputy Mayor Andris Ameriks, Chairman of Riga City Council Property Department Oļegs Burovs, architects Juris Poga and Austris Mailītis, Director of Latvian National Centre for Culture Signe Pujāte, representatives of building contractors involved in the project, Honorary Principal Conductors of the Song Festival and representatives of other stakeholders in this ambitious project.
On 20 August, after all summer events have been held, the demolition of the bandstand itself and preparation for the construction of the new bandshell will commence. To make the School Youth Song and Dance Festival possible in 2020, architects were asked to split the second phase into stages B1 and B2. The first stage of the second phase will include the construction of the bandstand itself, but the construction of all technical and administrative buildings, as well as site landscaping will take place during the second stage.
The project will include construction of four lighting towers, which will also have radio and TV connection wells. In addition, two-level facility will be built under the new spectator field where there will be toilets for 30,000 spectators and areas for trade stands to avoid their noise affecting concert sound quality. First aid stations and information desk will be situated there too.
The first stage of the second phase is expected to be completed by 18 July 2020 and the second stage by June 2023.
