Europa Centre

Vilnius, Lithuania

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Europa Centre

Vilnius, Lithuania

Firm

Audrius Ambrasas Architects

Type

Commercial › Office Retail

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2004

The idea to form an architectural hill on the right bank of the River Neris was conceived in 1964, and revived at the beginning of the 21st century during an economic boom. The 120-metre cylindrical business centre (1) marks the apex of the new centre, and complements the White Bridge. Visible in views and from the streets of the Old Town and Naujamiestis, it met with negative reactions, as it changed Vilnius’ skyline. The compositional axis of the shopping centre (2) is a spacious passage with a curved glass roof, recreating an impression of the Old Town’s streets, and flowing into the square (3) that connects all the buildings. The development was finished as Lithuania joined the EU, and became a symbol of the new centre of Vilnius. The project was prepared and realized in a very short time amid economic restrictions, so it could be a little underexploited, but the main aspects, the composition, the flows, and the square, still seem right to us today.