Latvian National Museum of Art: Part 2. In a previous blog I mentioned my desire to return to the museum. Recently I was able to make the journey and conduct additional research on the three previously mentioned stairs designed by Lithuanian architecture firm ProcessOffice.
The cupola staircase, which I had barely visited before due to time constraints, is the main subject of this blog. However, I will also briefly mention another stair as well as a fabulous 2023 exhibition by a Latvian artist which featured the stair that leads from the cupola to the attic gallery.
Additional staircases at the LNMM
New cupola staircase (in yellow above)
“The stairs to the cupola. One of the key features of the project that helped us to win the project competition was the use of existing spaces in the building that were not accessible to the public. And most impressive of these spaces was the cupola space. To provide public access new stairs were needed to connect exhibition spaces on the second floor and the attic space. Following the same principle design of the stairs placed in the old gallery space on the second floor is functional with a deliberate attempt to inform visitors about its structural origin (steel 15mm with fireproof paint) and provide a ‘feel’ of the upcoming cupola space which was a purely technical space originally painted white for better fire resistance.
“The stairs [click above link for additional images] were made in large sections and lowered through the roof opening with a large crane then welded to supporting elements integrated in concrete reinforced brick walls and welded together into a single beam structure. This operation was challenging and needed meticulous calculations from structural engineer Janis Krasts as the stairs and the retaining reinforced wall are held by the main hall wall and the existing steel beam-reinforced concrete column on the first floor.” (courtesy Processoffice)
Staircase leading from cupola down to the attic/exhibition area (in blue above)
New staircase leading to basement/storage area
Image 10: Gallery images of storage area in the basement (author’s collection)
Postscript
Enamored with the work by ProcessOffice (first seen in Riga, Latvia), I visited an intervention in Vilnius, Lithuania. There, at the Castellan’s House completed in 2024, I discovered a stair that, once again, seems such a typical double L-shaped staircase, but develops beautifully in an existing space. Contrary to the cupola stair at the Latvian National Museum of Art (Image 2 – 4 above), the risers are non existent, giving the steps the impression of being airy and light. Beyond the stair, which fascinated me, the exhibition—at times interactive—and renovated spaces were superbly done and deserve a visit if you ever venture to Vilnius.
Additional blogs of interest regarding stairs
Latvian National Museum of Art, Part 1
Vittorio Gasteiz: a lessons in stairs (Francisco Mangado)
Hong Kong: a lesson in stairs (Bille Tsien and Tod Williams)
Porto: a lesson in stairs (Alvaro Siza)
Firminy: a lesson in stairs (Le Corbusier)
Lexington: a lesson in stairs (Jose Oubrerie)
Vienna: a lesson in stairs (Jože Plečnik), Part 1
Vienna: a lesson in stairs (Jože Plečnik), Part 2
Geneva: a lesson in stairs (Le Corbusier)
How to design a stair