Annas koku skola (Anna's Tree School)
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
120 years old ceilings, floors and stairs from the Latvian Art Museum and the Latvian National Library. 200 years old wooden columns from Skrunda Manor. 100 years old window shutters and doors from houses in Riga. Soviet-era greenhouse radiators, old bricks and even he large chandelier what was the old main Christmas tree of Riga of other times. Sounds interesting? Yes. It is Anna’s Tree School – built using 30% recycled material, with respect to the oldest building in the area.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Annas koku skola (Anna’s Tree School) is all in one - a home, unusual bureau, learning by doing guided educative place surrounded with well-considered, all seasons enjoyable park that is in continuous process of development. Most of buildings are newly built but with respect to the oldest building of the area – Piņķi St. Anna Lutheran church.
In construction sustainable materials and techniques are used. Anna's Tree School (2013-2015) was built to create a high-quality, environmentally and health-friendly living space for both professionals and the public. It promotes ecological, economic and social sustainability. It is the way we see ourselves living more environmentally friendly and healthy, without sacrificing today's comfort and quality, while also thinking about the future of our children and grandchildren and their rights to live in a clean, non degraded environment.
The new building now is home for tree experts and arborists, as well as a school and association for training and seminars on environmental issues. The Anna's Tree School performs an important educational function not only in the region, but throughout Latvia. The building was built with the reduction of waste to be disposed of or incinerated in mind by introducing regenerative and circular economy. Up to 30 per cent of reusable, repaired, refurbished and recycling existing building materials have been used in its construction.
The construction of the Anna's Tree School combines centuries of knowledge with modern technological solutions, achieving an optimal balance between tradition and the application of innovative solutions. We followed several principles - sustainable development of living environment, optimal choice of building location, choice of environmentally and health-friendly local materials, use of renewable resources, increase quality of the building environment, use of innovations in design. The building also has cultural and historical significance.
Key objectives for sustainability
When we built the Anna's Tree School, we have relied on the principles of sustainability – balance of environmental, economic and social issues, ensuring equal development. As resources around the world dwindle, it is important to reuse them. By collecting recyclable construction materials over several years (30% of all this building), we have reduced construction waste - valuable raw materials and reusable products have not ended up in landfills.
This is a much better solution for the environment. By doing so, we have reduced our environmental impact while maximized our economic and social impact.
When building this way, costs are reduced, allowing to buy more durable products to increase functionality.
The purchasing and using of raw materials are optimized by their use throughout their life cycle.
Using 100-200 year old materials - mezzanine floors of the previous Latvian National Library building, wooden columns of Skrunda manor house, as well as various load-bearing structures, floor boards, doors, shutters from houses in Riga set for demolition, as well as Soviet-era greenhouse radiators. By using old bricks in decoration or construction of stove and fireplace, we continue to use resources for as long as possible. With this we gain maximum added value from them and reduce of waste.
As a result, we have conserved and enriched natural resources, reduced the amount of solid waste, reduced building operating costs, increased added value, and improved the economic performance of the building life cycle.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
By using recyclable materials in the construction of the Anna's Tree School high level of aesthetics is achieved. The construction is based on idea and good intentions to give the timber a second chance. The school blends harmoniously into the existing environment.
The facade is made of bricks and natural stone, the outer wall constructions are made of wooden pillars with a lattice, which is tinted to match the tone of the church facade. This complements the common silhouette of the school and the place. The facade is a combination and reverence at the same time to the church facade and big trees. Recycled materials are also widely used indoors - for example, the ceilings and floors of the building use 100 years old boards from the Latvian Art Museum as well as 120 years old floors of the mezzanine floors of the Latvian National Library building. All the doors of the house come from houses in Riga that were destined for demolition or restoration. Including 120 year old pearls of Art Nouveau style. Soviet-era greenhouse radiators also look aesthetically pleasing - they were cleaned and painted before reuse. 10 new lockers at the school are built from 100 years old Riga house window shutters. The building also has 200 years old wooden columns from Skrunda Manor. A whole house (Kārlis namiņš) has also been built from the materials from Skrunda Manor, including load-bearing structures. All the bricks for the construction of the school stoves and fireplaces, as well as for the decoration of the building have been brought from ten demolition sites. The stairs leading to the third floor of the school are from old Latvian Art Museum, where they were once a staircase to the attic. A good example is the central object of the school lobby and stairs - the large chandelier. It is the old main Christmas tree of Riga. All the interior details are made of recyclable materials. All this has not only aesthetic, but also important cultural and historical significance.
Key objectives for inclusion
Anna's Tree School is built in a historical place. The boundaries of Anna's half-manor were set already in 1225. During the World War II, the manor and church were destroyed, and during Soviet times the place was degraded and become unattractive.
Anna's church has been gradually restored. When in 2013 the construction of the Anna Tree School started, architectural and constructive solutions were decided carefully in order for the building to be a good example of sustainable construction. The territory around was also rearranged and landscaped.
We have also built a barn from recyclable materials (an old barn in Saldus, which was doomed to collapsing and being burned, was given a second chance - it was transported in pieces and after careful inspection and evaluation, reassembled here). Here the KONSTRUE team make playground huts, ships and other elements for swinging, climbing, touching, as well as pieces of art, design elements, cube log benches and outdoor elements. All from timber, most of all from recyclable timber.
In our mini Zoo installations for chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits huts are built from recycled materials. Organic vegetables are grown in Zero waste greenhouses. By the Babīte lake a pond is created for swimming.
In the parts of the forest where the so called Christmas battles took place (battles were offensive operations of the Russian army and Latvian units during World War I, by the Russian 12th army of the Northern Front), we have created a garden of rare moss plants and we have set up an open-air stage as a place for exchanging good ideas. Anna's Tree School itself is a house for trees and people. Where virtues of nature meet values of people. Although the school building was built very recently, its architecture harmonizes with the old landscape of the surroundings - Babīte Anna Church and old oaks. In the park of Anna's Tree School we have also an experimental field where trees are taught.
Results in relation to category
Anna's Tree School is a public building, which aimed to fit into the already existing historical environment in the romantic rural naivety with an aesthetically harmonious environment. It is our team's vision and attitude, how we feel, how buildings should be built and how to live with dignity in a chosen place. Every year we lose Latvia's cultural heritage - values are burned or taken to a landfill. So in 100 years, we will find that our grandchildren no longer have anything to be proud of or to associate with. The feeling of belonging, the legacy left by the ancestors will disappear. If we take it all off and soak it up, there will be nothing left. It can be compared with old big trees, which makes us feel part of the place and feel the care and concern of our ancestors for us.
With the construction of the building, we have achieved the goal of showing others how they can create their outdoor space harmoniously - the new building fits organically into the existing landscape.
In Koku ciems (Village of Trees), all the buildings built so far (school, shed, wood sheds, animal houses and greenhouses) are built from recyclable materials. We will continue on our way - we will do the same in the future.
How Citizens benefit
On a daily basis, the school building is managed by the Anna's Tree School Association, which deals with environmental issues, including organizing training, seminars, and master classes.
It is an organization made up of people interested in learning and at times teaching others. The association is based on tree-related industries: forestry, wood growing, arboriculture, landscape architecture and horticulture.
In addition to teaching adults, we also care about children. We organise excursions, camps and lessons. Children come here to learn about value of tree, about green environment around us and how to live and make our planet better.
We have joined the state run project “Latvian School Bag". It provides an opportunity for pupils to experience a variety of activities and events of historical heritage, professional art and cultural as part of the educational framework. We also participate in a student exchange program with Norway.
One of the hackathons has also taken place in the Anna Tree School park. We have hosted an art symposium, various Latvian traditional holiday celebrations and more.
Plant a tree, treat large trees with respect, protect them, use recycled products whenever you can, be a part of nature, think green - this is our idea. It means following practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly actions and lifestyles, which in turn helps to preserve the surrounding environment and natural resources for future and future generations.
Around 5, 000 people visit Anna's Tree School every year and we continue to educate them about thinking green.
Innovative character
In our view, innovative action has to be open to new opportunities.
As arborists and gardeners, when we go around to different sites, we take branches, logs, wood chips with us. In our location we use branches for heating, wood chips for compost, logs - in boards or firewood, but the best branches - for making furniture for children. Even before we built Anna’s Tree School, we reused everything that was left over.
There was no other idea to consider on how it would be right to build our base. Of course, from recyclable materials.
And we continued to collect - various materials from at least 50 places.
The innovation is that we built our own infrastructure. The smell and feeling are important here. It is a new building, but next to the Anna Church and the old oaks, the building acquires the feeling that we are part of the cultural heritage left behind for generations.
Due to the many details of the Anna's Tree School, which have come from the Latvian Art Museum, the Latvian National Library, Skrunda Manor and the many details of the residential houses, which are the cultural heritage of Latvia, the Anna's Tree School creates this breath of history.
