OREANDA-NEWS. November 17, 2008. By laying the foundation stone were commenced works on one of the currently most challenging construction projects in Riga – DnB NORD Banka head office building. The total project-related costs should tally up to EUR 28.5 million, reported the press-centre of DnB NORD Banka.

According to expectations the new head office building of DnB NORD Banka - hi-tech, power-efficient structure with world-scale architectonic solution that is quite unusual for Riga city environment should be completed in summer 2010.

The CEO of DnB NORD Banka Andris Ozolins points out: "Along with the persistent development of DnB NORD Banka arose a need for a new head office building. During the project development stage the most important criteria drawn by the Bank were state-of-the-art, technologically developed and functional solutions, good architecture, spacious premises for the staff and the customers as well as location in a promising neighborhood.

"Draft project of the new head office building of DnB NORD Banka meets all the above requirements, and furthermore, it will considerably contribute to the general development of Skanstes Street neighborhood, as the new building of DnB NORD Banka will be placed in the strategically most important location of the block, and therefore its architecture is going to serve as some kind of benchmark for the remaining coverage."

It is expected that in the new office building can be established work places for at least 840 employees. Including the underground parking lot the total space of the eleven-story building will tally up to 16,500 square meters.

The project developer and contractor will be "Merks", architect – internationally recognized Lithuanian company "Audrius Ambrasas architects".

"The new building of DnB NORD Banka is a European-scale project that teams up the companies of several European countries, i.e. Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Norway in order to right here, in Skanstes Street, create standing values that will be the evident message of the owners of the building, its architects and builders to the future generations and create the new architecture of the city," points out the Financial Director of "Merks" construction company Oskars Ozolins.

To construction and equipment of the new structure will be applied the newest technologies, thus making the building as power-efficient as possible. In the building will also be installed the Building Management System (BMS) in order to allow centralized adjustment of and control over interior clime, security systems, lighting etc.

In turn, to ensure the most appropriate work environment there will be created closed facade system; is provided installation of special air conditioning, ventilation and cooling systems. The building will boast also external self-acting blinds.