Pitraga Pietura (Pitrags Stop) by MADE Arhitekti has been nominated for the New European Bauhaus Prizes and is among the 50 finalists selected from more than 530 entries from all over Europe. The café, located on the North Kurzeme seafront, has been nominated in the category of Regaining a Sense of Belonging.
Pitraga Pietura is a café, a meeting point for the local community and travellers, created in 2023 in the former Pitrags fish smoking factory pass building, maintaining the existing aesthetics and adding contemporary design and functionality elements. The quality of the architecture, the sustainable and circular construction solutions, and the multidimensional dialogue between the clients, a three-family commune, and the local residents place Pitraga Pietura among the examples of the New European Bauhaus initiative here in Latvia.
The meeting place was created using the existing silicate brick substance and complementing it with metal and wood cladding planes that fit into the context of the factory. The pavilion is dynamic, with the open roof shields in the summer extending the area of influence and interaction, while in the off-season, with the shields closed, travellers have access to benches where they can sit down. Existing materials have been retained, some reused, and missing elements have been sourced from the factory, ensuring an organic integration into the context of nature and the existing buildings.
The project was designed by MADE Arhitekti, who have won several national architecture awards for their socially inclusive and sustainable architecture. Several of their works have also been nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture — Mies van der Rohe Award.
A total of 20 prizes will be awarded in the New European Bauhaus competition, two of which will be determined by the public vote. You can support the project by voting for it on the competition website. You can vote for one of the finalists from March 6 at 13:00 (12:00 CET) until March 27 at 19:00 (18:00 CET).
Viedokļi