British Embassy, Riga
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The elevations alongside Pumpura iela
Indrikis Sturmanis Download Original
Partial restoration and new insertions to the British Embassy, Latvia
Built in 19th, the villa became home to the British Embassy in 1930. During the Second World War it was lost, until 1992 when it was returned to the British government.
The changing needs of an embassy have been accommodated in an overall layout quite similar to that of the 1930's. The ground floor has become offices and part commercial section: a large, open-plan room with workstations and library.
The first floor is the setting for social gatherings, with a hall, reception room, dining room and guest bedrooms. The ambassadors home is in the attic space. The visa section is contained in the basement.
As much of the original building was kept and restored. The roof, windows and render were replaced. Rotting timber resulted in interior structural restoration.
An original hexagonal lightwell was enlarged. The second floor was cut through to allow light to penetrate through the building.
Data
- Begun: Jan 1994
- Completed: 1996
- Floor area: 1,271m2
- Sectors: Office, Civic
- Total cost: £1.5M
- Address: British Embassy, 5 J. Alunana Street, Riga, LV-1010, Latvia
Tags 
Embassy, Government building, Library, Lightwell, Refurbishment, Staircase, Working detail: Facade, Working detail: Window
Materials
Professional Team
- Architect: Jestico + Whiles
- Project architects: John Wotton, Tony Ingram
- Client: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Quantity surveyor: Integrated Surveying Partnership
- Main contractor: Polar Bek Latvia
- Main contractor: Gilbert Ash NI
