The New Hall of Dailes Theatre, built by Pillar Contractor, celebrates its topping-out ceremony
Yesterday, 21 January, the topping-out ceremony for the New Hall was celebrated at Dailes Theatre, the reconstruction work for which has been undertaken by our group company SIA “Pillar Contractor”. At present, the load-bearing roof structure and all the main works have been completed, so that extensive interior work can now proceed. Dailes Theatre director Juris Žagars praised the successful cooperation between the theatre and the construction company SIA “Pillar Contractor”, expressed his gratitude for the work carried out, and the parties extended the contract for further construction.
The reconstruction project provides for work in several areas, namely lowering the floor of the former Small Hall, which will henceforth be the New Hall, in order to achieve better visibility of the stage and significantly increase audience capacity in the hall, creating a two-level space with a balcony — instead of the previous 150 seats, there will be 340 seats. The stage area will also be raised, allowing directors and actors to use the New Hall as a fully fledged part of a modern theatre. In addition, as a result of the reconstruction of the premises, the theatre will gain a new and spacious rehearsal hall for rehearsals of performances on the large stage. The current inconvenient rehearsal rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors, built during the Soviet era, will be combined into one spacious and modern performance space, or “black box” hall, which in terms of size will be similar to the stage of the Large Hall. Smaller-scale performances could also take place there.
Juris Žagars, theatre director: “The total reconstruction costs before the dismantling of the old structures were estimated at around 4.7 million euros, including VAT. The building pavilion, which in the 1970s was built for Communist Party conferences rather than theatre performances, involved many unknowns. When the old walls and structures were demolished, the consequences of the poor-quality construction typical of the Soviet era became apparent. Moreover, after the latest inspections, the existing building’s fire safety system was found to be insufficiently safe. It was clear that such a large-scale and socially significant project had to be completed to a high standard and with careful consideration. Accordingly, in cooperation with the builders, adjustments have been made to the project and the handover deadline has been extended by two months. For such a complex facility, where many things only become apparent once the old building volumes have been demolished, this is normal practice. We had taken this into account. We now have to work on a sensible and maximally advantageous solution.
”Chairman of the Management Board of SIA “Pillar Contractor” Jānis Lāčaunieks: “We are truly pleased that the most complex stage in the development of the reconstruction project for the Dailes Theatre New Hall has been completed. It is an honor to participate in such a project, and we highly appreciate the professionalism and responsible approach to the construction process shown by all parties involved. This will ensure a high-quality result when the construction work is completed.”
The authors of the reconstruction project are architects Ilze Liepiņa and Reinis Liepiņš, and the architectural office “Sudraba Arhitektūra”. Reconstruction work on the outdated Small Hall, which was unsuitable for audiences and did not comply with today’s fire safety standards, began in April last year. It is planned that the opening of the New Hall will take place already in the theatre’s next season.
