In the summer of 2024, Dome Square, Riga Old Town’s largest open public space, was home to "Dome Next Door," a modular urban art installation inviting everyone to explore, connect, and playfully engage right in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town. "Dome Next Door" will be open to the public again in 2025.
Located at the junction of seven historic streets, "Dome Next Door" offers an interactive experience inspired by Riga’s architectural heritage. With nods to medieval vaults, the Dome Cathedral’s Cloister, and the striking geometry of arched windows and historic façades, this project reimagines the past through a contemporary lens. It’s a space where the old collides with the new.
The main load-bearing pre-fab structure is a locally sourced spruce modular GL timber grid that’s built to last for years. It is not only strong and sturdy but also planet-friendly, reusable, and recyclable. This flexible structure serves as a blank canvas that can be filled with anything from outdoor furniture to mirrors or left open for easy flow. Inspired by the Dome Cathedral’s cloister, the 5-meter-tall timber grid aligns with the “beletage” ground floor level in Dome Square and provides a courtyard in the middle.
It took just five days on site to level the floor and assemble hundreds of pre-fab pieces, including 45 columns, 72 roof beams, 31 floor beams, 245 floor planks, and 6 wall CLT panels. It’s designed to be easily put together—and taken apart—wherever it’s needed.
The modular timber grid incorporates four distinct, colorful steel modules that offer different functionalities. Here, you can lay down in a hammock, enjoy a relaxing picnic, meet someone special for a date, playfully interact with mirrors that distort and reflect your surroundings, casually swing, or simply daydream under the open sky. The modules are also enhanced with custom-made light fixtures that illuminate the space during the evening and night hours.
The project, commissioned by the Riga City Council, was designed and executed in an international collaboration involving partners from Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, and Portugal. The manufacturing involved local companies and skilled professionals from the steel, timber, and lighting industries.
