The expanded and reconstructed shopping centre Origo and the business centre Origo One was awarded the “Annual Award in Riga Architecture 2021”, organised by the Riga City Architect’s Office, and earned special recognition for the organic, harmonious, and multi-functional addition to the urban environment in the centre of Riga, as well as for respecting the requirements of universal design and environmental accessibility. The large-scale reconstruction of the facilities was completed at the end of 2020. Origo is a multi-functional trade and business centre at the intersection of city traffic, with shopping and entertainment opportunities under the same roof and an essential transport hub – Riga Central Railway Station.

Andis Kublačovs, Project Director at Linstow Baltic: “The greatest award for us is the recognition of people and their willingness to return, work, relax and enjoy themselves at our sites. We developed the architectural solutions in reference to the historical values of this place and with a vision of the future of Riga in mind. Therefore, we are happy to receive the award, which not only points to the excellent joint efforts of our great team and partners but also inspires us to take on further challenges to, together, make Riga a European city suitable for investment, business and living.”

In the shopping centre Origo, 35.7 thousand square metres are allocated for retail, and 11.5 thousand square meters are taken up by the business centre Origo One with its Class A office space and business premises. There are 159 shops, 17 restaurants, 248 parking spaces, 70 bicycle parking spots and five electric car charging stations.

Evija Majevska, Commercial Director at Linstow Baltic and shopping centre Origo: “By investing 75 million euros, we have created a model for building a sustainable, modern and high-quality object in the urban environment, both in terms of focusing on people’s well-being and on providing added value to this neighbourhood of Riga. We are delighted to find that our customers have already appreciated that, too – something which we can feel in the trends of the frequency of visitation of the shopping centre and other indicators, despite these challenging times. The recognition is a true testament to the professionalism of all parties involved in the project and their ability to work together to make our urban environment more pleasant and modern.”

The “Origo” project emphasises high energy efficiency standards, water use, and solutions to ensure accessibility for all segments of society and other sustainability standards. The new Origo building and the business centre Origo One obtained the world’s leading building sustainability assessment method’s BREEAM certification, receiving the highest rating among all shopping centres in the Baltic States and all business centres in Latvia. Seven companies have set up Class A offices in the Origo One business centre. The 11 500 m² large area now houses Enlabs Group, digital content studio TheSoul Publishing, Narvesen & Caffeine, Hili Properties, Colliers International, LETA and TVNET Group.

By investing 600 thousand euros, the intersection of Elizabetes and Satekles streets underwent extensive reconstruction, making it much safer for motorised vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The project developer is Linstow Baltic, the author of the construction project – Depo Projekts, the authors of interior design – Xcelsior, the builders – Skonto Būve and Skonto Construction, landscape architects for the new building – “ALPS ainavu darbnīca”.