Educative center of the European park (Europos Parkas) – a sculpture?

by Kristina Noreikiene - Centras, 2007 No. 4

The European Park, created 16 years ago by the sculptor Gintaras Karosas, recently has been renewed by one more original sculpture – an Educative center. The creator of the park’s landscape is the author of this architectural sculpture. According to the sculptor, it is the first such kind project in Lithuania.

On the outside it is a sculpture, which melts in the environment, and in the inside it is a modern premise for educational activities.

An idea to create an Educative center was born when the spaces under roof became too small for the training, seminars and conferences. And there were no doubts that the building will look more like a sculpture than an ordinary construction, because the attention to the relation of the sculptures with the landscape and other exhibits is one of the most important principles of the park. This new creation of G. Karosas really looks like it belongs here. It ideally harmonizes with the environment and is integral part of it without overloading it and with no demands from it.

The building has a unique form. From the one side it looks like a fish, from the other one – like a rock, and from one more – like a swardy land knoll.

Ferroconcrete, glass and grass were used for the creation of the sculpture-buildings. According to the author, he tried to avoid unnecessary details in the building, therefore even windows are almost without frames, and the glass simply touches the concrete wall. However, despite the harmonic integration of the sculpture within the landscape, inside the building one can see modern and spacious rooms with heating floor and all needed equipment. There are conditioning and ventilation systems underneath, so the building is cool and fresh.

This original Educative center has three floors: on the ground floor there is one hall, on the first floor – two hall, and on the second floor – a small library, where the visitors enter through the minimalist elegant stairs.

Solutions during the creative and work process

Educative center is a result of six creative and hard work years of G. Karosas. More than one technological solution had to be made in order to ensure the quality and stability of the building. For example, the Educative center is built on the underground water springs, so a complicated drainage system was needed in order to ensure that the humidity would not penetrate into the building.

The building-sculpture is enframed by the 15 cm ferroconcrete shell, which plastically transforms from the slightly arched cylinder into the form of egg and serves as a roof. The shell holds heating, hydro isolation, drainage, capillary irrigation systems and turf and grass layers.

The main door leading to the hall on the ground floor is even three meters width, so the steel was used for it, as the aluminum was not good enough for such door.

It was hard enough to plant very uneven and aslope unusual roof of the building. The specialist, who did this, had to meet a real challenge for the first time during their working career.

According to G.Karosas, many solutions were made during the creative process, as the form of the building was really interesting and complicated, so nothing could be calculated and foreseen before head.

There is a small pond near the building, which is surrounded by tables, chairs during the warm periods; tidy pathways invite to take a walk round the building. Near the building there is one more additional parking place. At night the building is lightened from the inside – yellow color makes the building cozy and warm.

Many unique art pieces found their places in this exclusive location – the European park. There are no doubts that the Educative center will have exceptional place in this “club”.

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