Mežaparks, Riga, Lettland

Object Type
Outdoor Stages

Builder
Riga City Council

Architects
Juris Poga, Austris Mailītis

Completion
2023

Expertises
Construction Dynamics
Room Acoustics
Electronic Room Acoustics

The open-air stage in Riga's Mežaparks has made a fascinating history over the years, becoming an internationally recognised symbol of Latvian culture and music. The traditional Latvian Song and Dance Festival takes place every five years. For the 150th anniversary in 2023, the newly designed open-air stage was ceremoniously inaugurated after almost 15 years of planning and construction.

On the occasion of the 2018 Singers' Festival, the first step was the redesign of the audience grandstand with a total elevation of about 15 m. The concave choir stand – the central acoustic element of the area – was then completely redesigned. The excellent acoustics of the spectacular open-air stage are based on 510 convexly individual curved reflector elements, which prevent disturbing focussing effects and lead the sound specifically to the audience. On the back of the choir stand, an acoustically transparent mesh fabric provides the necessary weather protection for the singers while meeting all acoustic requirements. The spatial analogy to an amphitheatre gives the choir a natural and specific sound.

Image Copyright
1 Ansis Starks
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