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The spaceship landed

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Next to the main transport artery of Lithuania, connecting the capital with the port city, near the main city gates, Klaipėda Airport has been located for many years, and an entire industrial park has begun to be developed in its vicinity. The new VMG Technics factory, which specializes in engineering innovations, was intended to be the symbol of this park. So these three main aspects: the symbol of the territory, the aviation context, and future technologies—inspired the idea for the complex, which can be expressed quite poetically with the phrase: the cosmic VMG ship has landed.

photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj

The initial idea to create a production building resembling a silver flying saucer that had landed in a meadow next to the airport, right next to the highway, was sketched on a small piece of paper during the first meeting, while drinking tea and discussing the need to create not just another production facility in Lithuania, but a completely different kind of open social-industrial-educational center. The building had to not only show where the innovation park territory begins, emphasizing the starting point of modern Klaipėda, but also become an attraction, drawing in even ordinary travelers going to the sea, not just target customers. The elliptical shape perfectly met the need to open up the building on all sides, making all the facades uniform and equally representative, while also fitting in with the logic of the interior functions and emphasizing the axial direction of the motorway. In addition to the aforementioned production facilities, the complex also includes public functions: a unique technology museum space, educational halls, a restaurant, leisure and work spaces for employees. In addition to the interior spaces, it was important to create exterior spaces where a wide variety of activities could be carried out. On the southern side of the building, which is the most visible, part of the elliptical volume was converted into an open space, bordered by a colonnade of wooden structures that has become a distinctive feature of the building. These columns not only maintain the monumental form of the entire complex, but also, due to aerodynamic wing effects, form a clearly legible entrance and attraction zone for the interior space (which is important in order to be visible to those traveling at 130 km/h on the highway). During the dark hours of the day, the colonnade becomes an object of light projections, fundamentally changing the section that was previously shrouded in darkness.

photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj
photo_credit Norbert Tukaj
Norbert Tukaj

From the very beginning, silver became one of the complex's calling cards—an integral part of the semantics of the future, progress, breakthrough, and technology. Therefore, it also found its way into the interior, which became a consistent continuation of the exterior postulates. The axis of the public space is the atrium, which runs through all three floors and houses a museum, a restaurant, and relaxation areas. At its center are hanging bridges connecting the two blocks of the building and a central levitating staircase, which also serves as a social space, especially during events. Since an impressive interior space with a wide range of functions was created, it was extremely important to control the sound, so a unique acoustic wall was created, which not only decorates the entire atrium with its stainless steel pipe composition and absorbs noise, but also serves as a light source that is visible from the highway at night. Anodized aluminum ceilings, aluminum windows, walls in matching shades—everything creates an industrial innovation center.

However, people are at the heart of this complex – it is for them that this facility is being built. Modern workplaces, comfortable relaxation areas, outdoor spaces, learning infrastructure. In addition, great attention has been paid to acoustics, microclimate, natural light, and sun protection. Natural clay systems have been used for wall finishes, which improve the moisture balance in the rooms and allow them to breathe more naturally. All this allows the building to be operated in a particularly sustainable manner. It can be said that the Technics spaceship is a balanced complex, created in accordance with the principles of integrated urban planning, architecture, social engineering, and building engineering, where the exterior is inseparable from the interior. It is open to the world and carries the best ideas. 

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