flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Ugly soviet parking garage takes on appearance of a cascading waterfall

Architects

Ugly soviet parking garage takes on appearance of a cascading waterfall

Architect Ignas Lukaskas worked in conjunction with Vieta and the Vilnius Street Art festival to transform the building.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | September 30, 2016

Photo courtesy of Studio Vieta

A Soviet-era parking garage in Lithuania that sits just a few dozen feet from the Neris River and has been described as an “eyesore,” has been transformed into a bright display of color and lights as part of the Vilnius Street Art Festival. Ignas Lukauskas, an architect whose PhD thesis was on urban landscapes and how art and architecture can create disruptions, created the new look for the building.

The Vilnius Waterfall, as the project has been dubbed, is based on this thesis. The photorealistic waterfall image was pasted onto more than 2,000 sm (making it the largest project like this ever executed in Lithuania) of the structure’s exterior surface and uses the building’s terraced look and its location near the Neris to further enhance the faux waterfall’s illusion.

The water appears to crash and cascade down the various terraces of the structure, which is currently used as a garage for storing and maintaining Parliament vehicles, on its way to the river. The stagnant appearance offered by the building’s former look is replaced with one that is dynamic and flowing.

The new façade is only temporary, but the goal is for it to bring a refreshing hint of the natural landscape to Lithuania’s capital city.

View more images of The Vilnius Waterfall here.

Related Stories

Green | Mar 25, 2015

WELL Building Standard introduced in China

The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

High-rise Construction | Mar 24, 2015

Timber high-rise residential complex will tower over Stockholm waterfront

The four towers, 20 stories each, will be made entirely out of Swedish pine, from frame to façade.

Higher Education | Mar 23, 2015

Hong Kong university building will feature bioclimatic façade

The project's twin-tower design opens the campus up to the neighboring public green space, while maximizing the use of summer winds for natural ventilation.

Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015

Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom

A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.

Government Buildings | Mar 23, 2015

SOM leads planning for Egypt’s new $45 billion capital city

To alleviate overcrowding and congestion in Cairo, the Egyptian government is building a new capital from scratch.

BIM and Information Technology | Mar 23, 2015

Skanska hosts three-week 'hackathon' to find architect for Seattle tower development

Searching for a nimble, collaborative design firm for its 2&U tower project in Seattle, the construction giant ditches the traditional RFQ/RFP process for a hackathon-inspired competition.

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 23, 2015

Can advanced elevator technology take vertical hospitals to the next level?

VOA's Douglas King recalls the Odyssey project and ponders vertical transportation in high-rise healthcare design.

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 22, 2015

New Joplin, Mo., hospital built to tornado-resistant standards

The new hospital features a window and frame system that can protect patients from winds of up to 250 mph. 

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 19, 2015

Populous design wins competition for UK's most sustainable arena

The live-concert venue will seat an audience of 12,000, which the firm says will be masked by “the atmosphere and intimacy of a 4,000-seat amphitheatre.” 

Architects | Mar 18, 2015

Architecture Billings Index rises in February

The ABI score was 50.4 last month, up slightly from a mark of 49.9 in January. This score reflects a minor increase in design services, according to AIA. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021