February

www.kamane.lt, 2009 02 28
According to the minutes of KAUET of 2009 02 18The first meeting of Kaunas Architecture and Urbanism Experts’ Council of year 2009 was dedicated to bold visions of urbane future of Kaunas new town and the conversion of the unfinished Soviet hotel-ghost at Kęstučio Str. 26 into a multi-apartment house.

Considered:
1. THE SEARCH FOR URBANE MODEL OF KAUNAS NEW TOWN. Presented by Prof. Algimantas Miškinis.
2. CONVERSION OF THE HOTEL AT KĘSTUČIO STR. 26 TO A MULTI-APARTMENT HOUSE. OFFERS OF THE DETAILED PLAN are presented by Miesto Planas UAB (architect Evaldas Barzdžiukas). Offers of the TECHNICAL PROJECT are presented by Dviejų Grupė UAB (PDV - Linas Tuleikis). Customer – Britanija UAB. COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AT KĘSTUČIO STR. 30 AND 32 (designed by the architects‘ bureau G.Natkevičius ir Partneriai UAB, architect Gintautas Natkevičius, customer – Ave-Matrox UAB).

The meeting was headed by Gintaras Prikockis.

1. THE SEARCH FOR URBANE MODEL OF KAUNAS NEW TOWN. Presented by Prof. Algimantas Miškinis.

According to A.Miškinis, a uniform decision useful for Kaunas is being searched. The height of buildings was established in the new town of Kaunas in the inter-war period, still, later such discordant buildings as Miestprojektas, Pramprojektas appeared. The professor offers to join adjacent territories to the present new town. The tasks would be to establish and evaluate the height of present buildings of the territory, to prepare new regulations of construction and to generalise the presented material.

DECISION

1. The presented work “THE SEARCH FOR URBANE MODEL OF KAUNAS NEW TOWN” (prepared by A.Miškinis) should be considered along with the regulations of Kaunas new town.

2. CONVERSION OF THE HOTEL AT KĘSTUČIO STR. 26 TO A MULTI-APARTMENT HOUSE. OFFERS OF THE DETAILED PLAN are presented by Miesto Planas UAB (architect Evaldas Barzdžiukas). Offers of the TECHNICAL PROJECT are presented by Dviejų Grupė UAB (PDV - Linas Tuleikis). Customer – Britanija UAB. COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AT KĘSTUČIO STR. 30 AND 32 (designed by the architects‘ bureau G.Natkevičius ir Partneriai UAB, architect Gintautas Natkevičius, customer – Ave-Matrox UAB).

Conversion of the hotel at Kęstučio Str. 26 into a multi-apartment house and its surroundings

Conversion of the hotel at Kęstučio Str. 26 into a multi-apartment house and surroundings at night

Different variant of conversion

According to G.Prikockis, the objects at Kęstučio Str. 26, 30 and 32 are located close to each other. Therefore, he offered to present them together. After the offers regarding the conversion of the present hotel and regarding the buildings located at Kęstučio Str. 30 and 32 were expressed and opinions of the council members were said, the decision was accepted.

DECISION

2. It is offered to use the following recommendations of KAUET members when issuing the summary of conditions for the CONVERSION OF THE HOTEL AT KĘSTUČIO STR. 26 INTO A MULTI-APARTMENT HOUSE:
2.1. It is believed that the new designed volume of the apartment house (instead of the old wing) near Kęstučio Str. is too high (7 experts).
2.2. It is approved of the offer to pull down the upper two floors of the main volume and to construct “penthouses” livening up the silhouette (6 experts).
2.3. It is positive that the main monolith volume is dark (6 experts).
2.4. The new modern wing near Kęstučio Str. does not match the general composition (6 experts).
2.5. It is offered to pay more attention at the humanisation of the surroundings (not only for constructing the relaxation platform) as a big number of inhabitants is planned in the complex (5 experts).
2.6. The change of function of both buildings causes doubts – a hotel or student’s house would be more acceptable (4 experts).
2.7. It is offered to establish the altitudes of buildings in the detailed plan solutions – superstructure, main building and wing near Kęstučio Str. (4 experts).

3. It is offered to use the following recommendations of KAUET members when issuing the summary of conditions for the COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AT KĘSTUČIO STR. 30 AND 32:
3.1. The relation between the reconstructed hotel building and buildings at Kęstučio Str. 30 and 32 should be found. The gap between buildings should be left (7 experts).
3.2. The designed volume could be lower in A.Mickevičius Str., as low as the neighbouring hotel (7 experts).
3.3. The designed volume dominates too much regarding the present corner constructions (6 experts).
3.4. The view of buildings from A.Mickevičius Street is approved of, and the view from Kęstučio Str. – not (5 experts).
3.5. The density of buildings should be decreased (5 experts).
3.6. The problem of automobile parking lots should be solved, as commercial premises are not attractive without them (4 experts).

Prepared by Jūratė Merkevičienė