Merks signs an agreement on construction of Salaspils kindergarten

Construction company “Merks” has signed an agreement with Salaspils County Council on the construction of a new kindergarten in Salaspils. The works include construction of a new, fully furnished kindergarten building, construction of the territory infrastructure and reconstruction of the city gas distribution pipelines. The contract amount is 5.8 million euros. The construction works are planned to be completed in January 2022. As a result of this project, 288 new places for pre-school children will be created.

“We decided to build the seventh pre-school educational institution, because every year the population of Salaspils grows and several hundred children are waiting in line for a place in a kindergarten,” says Raimonds Čudars, Chairman of Salaspils County Council. “Our goal is to create an educational institution that provides functionality in line with a modern lifestyle and creates an inspiring environment for our children. That’s why our specialists also went on a trip to Knivst, Sweden, to gain experience in kindergarten functionality, energy efficiency and engineering solutions.”

 

“The kindergarten will meet the latest trends in construction sustainability, as it will use CLT wood panels, which is a modern and more environmentally friendly solution. CLT leaves a smaller footprint of CO2 and uses natural renewable timber resources. Such a modern solution and a progressive environment will certainly have a positive impact on children’s development. We are happy to be chosen as partners for this project, because “Merks” aims to build an environment for growth – urban and national development, and this project will definitely show it,” says Andris Bišmeistars, Merks Board Member and Director of Construction.

 

Although kindergartens and schools have traditionally been seen as providing formal education, nowadays there is an increasing emphasis on non-formal education, which is suitable for providing a diverse education. There, children learn from each other and gain competence by doing tasks that are directly related to everyday life. Therefore, the space of non-formal education is very important, where creativity, mutual cooperation, providing feedback is encouraged – any activity that helps to use acquired knowledge in practical life.

The group rooms will be of the same size, rational and multifunctional, so that the building can also be used as a primary school, as well as for other educational activities. The central hall will have an amphitheater and an associated music class, which will both form the core of the building for daily use and will allow it to be used for various concerts. The assembly hall is planned to be used both as a lobby and a dining room. In the group rooms, sleeping area will not be separated, but sleeping will be provided in folding beds. The size will allow the space to be used for training as well.

In order to create a sufficiently functional outdoor area according to the number of children, the diverse facilities and equipment will be divided into thematic “garden” areas – there will be a mountain, forest, valleys, meadows and a sports garden.

The new kindergarten will be located at Rubeņu Street 2A, where  two secondary schools, a swimming pool, a stadium and a Sports House are already located. The new building is planned as an educational institution for children of different ages at different stages of development.

SIA “MADE arhitekti” won the design competition announced in 2018, which designed the kindergarten so that each child would feel at home.