The low-rise apartment buildings The Pearl, located in a wooded area on the shore of Lake Baltezers, are designed to make you feel like you are in a private villa with all its amenities – a spa, an indoor pool, saunas, a gym and, of course, the beautiful nature that you can see through the window as you look at the placid waters in the distance and the green pine trees that calm your eyes and mind. The complex consists of three connected buildings facing the lake on the south side and with a spacious courtyard on the north-west side.
The building is situated only a 20-minute drive from the centre of Riga, near the town of Adazi, in an area with prestigious villas, cosy shoreline restaurants, hotels, spas and boat rentals that offer numerous outdoor activities. Living in the quiet suburbs of the Latvian capital is a luxury in itself, but The Perl offers even more – fresh air and water, an enchanting landscape and a pine forest to relax and recover. The smaller Baltezers lake is connected to the bigger lake by the Baltezers canal, excavated in the beginning of the 20th century. The Baltic Sea is accessible by water from the bigger Baltezers lake.
In search for new lines, rhythms, materials, forms and proportions
“One of the most important features of living spaces is comfort. We did our best to create a feeling of being close to the lake and to the forest while staying inside the apartment. We wanted every resident to look out of the window and to enjoy a view that makes you stop for a moment,” the author of the project, the architect Juris Mitenbergs said. He is also the founder and Head of AB3D. The project has already gained international recognition; it was still in the design stage when it won the MIPIM future architecture competition in Cannes (2008) and an award in the residential building category at the Architizer A+Awards in New York (2015). Having received so much praise for The Perl at the Europe 40 under 40 (2010), Mitenbergs was ranked among the forty best young architects and designers in Europe. In his projects, Mitenbergs seeks to define spaces in both minimalistic and expressive terms while respecting the environment which the architectural solution either matches or opposes. His goal is to create emotions through architecture by using simple forms and the possibilities provided by the combinations and layouts of the forms. The search for new lines, rhythms, materials, forms and proportions is the signature feature of the architect, evident in The Perl as well.
Blends in with the environment
The environment itself and the pursuit of harmony with it suggested the right architectural concept. “The buildings were designed with the environment, the terrain and the lake shore in mind, to preserve as much of the pine forest as possible and to keep in harmony with the landscape. It doesn’t make much of a difference whether it’s in the city or in the countryside. The most important thing for me is to get a sense of what is right for a specific place and to develop a vision of what is best, so that the people who will live there feel at home. We create spaces in which we would happily live ourselves,” said the architect about this unique project. Usually, relatively small private villas are built on the shores of lakes. Therefore, it was a big challenge to create an apartment complex that blends in with this particular environment. “Architecture without the architect’s ego is impossible. Without an architect it is simply a run-of-the-mill production. It was probably when we found the right materials for the façade (the right shade of wood that goes well with the forest colours) that I first thought we could actually succeed. We had to be very careful when integrating such a large building into the existing environment,” said Mitenbergs.
The luxury of The Perl comes down to the environment, the concept and every high-quality detail. The façades are cladded with a burnt and polyurethane-treated Siberian larch that blends in with the colour and texture of the pine trunks. The overall colour scheme complements the natural environment – the pine trunks and roots, the pieces of wood washed up on the shore and the calm lake, all reflected in the glazed façade.
Comfort through exclusive luxury
The future residents will enjoy the apartments already fitted with high-quality ash and oak floors, decorative concrete finishes and specially selected wallpaper. The architect created 3 different interior options, each stylistically coherent with the overall design of the building.
About a half of the apartment owners live there permanently. For others it is a place for rest and vacation. Most apartments have a fireplace or a jacuzzi. Almost all apartments offer a view of the lake. There are 65 apartments with 2 or 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The penthouse apartments spread over two floors. There are no two identical apartments in the building. Each apartment floor plan is different. They range from 67 to 211 sq. m. The most luxurious apartments have large terraces of up to 200 sq. m.
The house has 8 staircases and as many lifts to the underground parking lot. Above-ground parking is for guests’ vehicles. Residents of one or more apartments (if preferred) can enjoy the shared pool, spa and saunas at the same time. The 24-hour concierge not only keeps order; it assures protection and provides assistance, if the residents want to rent a car or a boat, to order dinner, to book a table at one of the restaurants in the nearby town of Adazi or simply get into their apartment.
Exceptional luxury is guaranteed by the amazing landscape and the spacious courtyard. Illuminated façades and evening lights create a cosy and peaceful atmosphere. Moreover, each apartment has its own berth in the private marina on the lake.
The culture of details
“This project is an example of the culture of details, the architect recollects. It was a pleasure to work on, because we always sought for the best and most accurate solution and gave each detail a lot of thought.”
As the authors of the project were selecting the right materials and equipment and coordinated the details, they came across TECE’s range. All bathrooms were fitted with TECE toilet modules and TECEloop flush plates. Their sleek and refined style matched all three types of interior design perfectly.
For more information:
TECE GmbH
Tel.: +49 2572.928.0
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