Riga (Latvia)

The SUPERSHINE Latvian lighthouse district “Āgenskalna priedes” is situated in Riga with 627,763 inhabitants and an area of 304 km2. It is located in the core residential area in the Āgenskalns borough and is composed of 24 Soviet-era multi-apartment residential buildings (1959-1961) and 1 new NZEB multi-apartment residential building (2020). The district is composed of 1,283 apartments for affordable housing and is home to 2,700 inhabitants.

In addition, it has been marked by the municipality as the renovation wave pilot area in its Sustainable Development Programme 2021-2027.

Āgenskalns neighbourhood is a mixed-use area including low- and medium-rise buildings: multi-apartment residential buildings and family housing areas, offices, retail spaces, public services, universities, schools and kindergartens.

The lighthouse district within the NEB principles

Sustainable.

SUPERSHINE is building upon the financial analysis developed within the sister project SUPER-i. SUPERSHINE is promoting adequate and well-targeted funding by supporting innovative financial solutions such as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) while collaborating with innovative local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and proposing sustainable renovation, based on circular solutions, use and reuse of sustainable materials, and the integration of nature-based solutions while reducing whole life-cycle carbon emissions. Additionally, SUPERSHINE One Stop Shop will interact with local businesses, innovative SMEs and services to harmonise the EE refurbishment at district level and in order to provide tailored information to all the relevant stakeholders. The planned intervention includes: higher energy efficiency of the building fabric, onsite generation and storage of renewable energy and smart grids. 

Beautiful.

Improving the life conditions of the tenants and the structure of the buildings themselves, and increasing inclusiveness  will increase the attractiveness of the district.

The creation of new communities resulting from the rebuild of the district will lead to the definition of new social housing services designed according to the inhabitants’ needs. 

Together.

 SUPERSHINE is promoting the use of renovation as a lever to address energy poverty and access to healthy housing for all households, including for low income people with disabilities and for older people.

The new dwellings will be assigned to low-income tenants differentiated by composition and age group. The development will then be suitable for the establishment of an energy community to further decrease energy poverty of the local social housing inhabitants.