The winner of the “Riga Ropax Terminal” architectural competition is the world-famous “Zaha Hadid Architects” office

“Berenblum Busch Architects” from the USA took third place, “R-Konsult” from Estonia took second place, and “Zaha Hadid Architects” took first place. A total prize fund of 35,000 euros was divided between the three award-winning projects. The jury consisted of representatives of Riga City Council, Riga Freeport Authority, National Cultural Heritage Authority, Pētersala-Andrejsala neighborhood association, “Bouygues Bâtiment International”, as well as Latvian Architects Union and “Riga Ropax Terminal”.

“We are pleased with the results of the “Riga Ropax Terminal” architectural competition, not only with the high-quality offer of “Zaha Hadid Architects”, but also with the great interest in this competition in general. Almost 60 architectural firms applied for the tender documentation, and 10 of them submitted applications. The work on the tender has been completed, but the most responsible work is now just beginning – through the cooperation of “Riga Ropax Terminal”, the Free Port of Riga, the City Council of Riga, the Ministry of Transport and the responsible institutions, to create such a mobility solution for the capital that would create convenience and real value, attract investors, develop economy of Riga and Latvia,” says Jūlija Bērziņa, project manager of “Riga Ropax Terminal”.

“Currently, work is being continued to implement the next phase of the project’s development as soon as possible – designing so that sea travelers, residents of Riga and guests of the city have a modern passenger terminal. Active work is also underway to create and strengthen cooperation with passenger ship lines. In the future, the new terminal will definitely add to the panorama of Riga’s coast and become Riga’s business card for sea travelers,” continues Jūlija Bērziņa.

“Zaha Hadid Architects” Director Gianluca Racana states: “Combining design innovations with the highest standards of user experience and sustainable solutions, “Riga Ropax Terminal” will be an example of architecture that will serve as a path to Riga’s future, while respecting the city’s rich history as for the port city. Reusing on-site concrete structures as well as local materials from recycled and renewable sources, the new terminal will be a benchmark in green architecture, incorporating advanced design solutions to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. With significantly improved access to the waterfront and extensive new public spaces, the project will ensure these areas become a popular destination.”

“A new, modern passenger terminal is Riga’s opportunity to restore regular ferry traffic in the port of Riga, as well as to increase the number of cruise ships and tourism passengers, providing additional long-term revenues for the capital’s and national economy. We are satisfied with the high-quality architectural offers for the visual and technical framework of the project, which is a good application for the further implementation of the Riga Ropax Terminal project, and, it must be said, it has already managed to create a wider positive resonance and the interest of international partners in the passenger terminal project”, emphasizes Ansis Zeltiņš, manager of the Freeport of Riga .

He notes that already this year, within the framework of cooperation with “Riga Ropax Terminal”, the Riga Freeport Authority is ready to start work on the first stage of the project under its responsibility – the reconstruction of the historical ED dam and the deepening of the water area, in order to improve the safety of ship access and navigation in the Export Port.

“Tourists and the development of the tourism industry are important to Riga. One of the effective ways to achieve this is through the arrival of cruise ships in our port. Therefore, we hope that with the development of the new passenger terminal, Riga will not only get a modern terminal and service, but will also become a home port for cruise ships. This will promote the city’s popularity on the international tourism map, as well as create new economic opportunities and jobs for local residents,” says Riga Vice Mayor Edvards Ratnieks.

The offers of the “Riga Ropax Terminal” architectural competition will be available for viewing in person until May 12 at the 4th floor of the Institute of Architecture and Design of the Riga Technical University, Ķipsalas Street 6, on weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.

The developers of the “Riga Ropax Terminal” project, in parallel with the architectural competition, are actively working on attracting investment and cooperation partners for the project, as well as promoting the recognition of the project at the world level. In 2020, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Riga Freeport Authority and the developer of “Riga Ropax Terminal”. In the summer of 2023, “Riga Ropax Terminal”, the Port of Stockholm and the Riga Freeport Authority signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation, as part of which cooperation is planned for the submission of applications for joint European co-financed projects – three joint applications have been submitted so far.

“Riga Ropax Terminal” annually participates in the largest exhibition of cruise industry professionals Seatrade Cruise Global Miami. The project implementers also participated in the 2023 Seatrade exhibition in Hamburg and the international real estate and investment forum MIPIM in Cannes.

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