The architects’ summer plein air, which was dedicated to generating ideas for the construction of the new Carnikava church, has ended and took place from 17 to 20 August in Carnikava region. It is planned to build the new church in the center of the county near the so-called “Boat House”, which is located in Carnikava at Stacijas Street 21, next to the railway and the pedestrian bridge over the Gauja. It has become the home of the Ādaži Lutheran congregation after a fire accident, in which the historic Carnikava wooden church in Siguļi burned down.
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The aim of the plein air was to study the architectural image of Carnikava, the location of the new church and the premises necessary for its operation. The results of the plein air will be used as a basis for the next step – the regulations of the new church building design competition and tasks for the design of the building.
According to Marta Romanova-Jēkabsone, a representative of the Ādaži Evangelical Lutheran Church, architecture students and students from the RTU Faculty of Architecture, as well as experienced architects, church representatives and experts from the Carnikava County Council participated in the plein air. The participants had various lectures, excursions, as well as acquaintance with the church and its life, the county, its history and future visions and plans.
“The participants of the plein air worked in four working groups. The first group worked on ideas and suggestions for what to do with the burnt church site. Participants offer to build an open-air church as a memorial site, cleaning up the surroundings, placing a few benches on the remaining foundations and placing a cross made of burnt trees in the altar part. They also offer to make and place information display screens from glass plates, marking the old church building at different times. Thus, this place could become one of the attractions of the region next to various walking trails, a point of remembrance and silence, ”said M.Romanova-Jēkabsone.
The second group explored the site, the different directions of view, the possible location of the plot in terms of the sun’s path, the prevailing wind directions, and created an interactive map, using the latest technology and scanning the area with a drone and a possible 3D volume sketch of the new church.
The third group researched and identified the context of the church project, studying the identity and construction of the Carnikava region, its history, the congregation and its activities and dreams, the development directions, plans and future needs of the region. This study will serve as a basis for architects to feel and inspire the environment in which the new church should be designed. It was identified that the two main directions are “nature and man”, which determines both the possible choice of building materials and the size of the church and the space for various activities, taking into account the expected flows of people. Carnikava’s new church will be located at the crossroads of many roads – next to and past the highway, railway, waterways, Jūrtaka and pilgrimage road – St. Jacob’s Road, as well as various bicycle and walking trails. All this shows the opportunities that open up for the church and the activities of the congregation.
The fourth group studied the so-called demand – what are the planned activities and visions of the congregation and the wishes of the county for this space of spiritual culture, including providing various rooms, materials and other conditions for the design of the church. The group developed a goal and a document for designing the terms of reference.
“Starting this plein air, the future architectural professionals were given two big basic conditions for the work to be done:” The client of the construction of the church is God “and” The church is not just a building. They are people, they are relationships, it is a place where the worldly meets the eternal. ” And it must be admitted that it was the relationship, its identification and conscious formation that really became the guiding principle of these days. Thanks to the interest and professional approach of the young architects, we, the members of Ādaži parish, were also encouraged to formulate our wishes, ideas and vision precisely and unambiguously. Together we were looking for the best solution for the Church, which must become a symbol of the Carnikava region, ”said the pastor of Ādaži parish Jānis Kopštāls.
The architects’ plein air was organized by Ādaži Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in cooperation with Riga Technical University, Faculty of Architecture and Carnikava County Council. Ādaži Evangelical Lutheran Church operates both in Ādaži region in Baltezers Church and in Carnikava region “Laivu māja”, because historically the congregations of both regions have been united into one.
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