Nature and architecture

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33857, 31 May 1975, Page 12

Nature and architecture

(By

VYTAUTAS MIKULICIUS)

The Lenin Prize, the highest award in the U.S.S.R. for creative endeavours, has been bestowed for 1974 on a group of Lithuanian architects and builders for the creation of the residential area of Lazdynai in the capital, Vilnius (see illustration, below).

Lazdynai (the Lithuanian for filbert) is the ancient name of a former village in the picturesque suburbs of Vilnius.' In early spring towndwellers used to go there

to enjoy the view of blue fields covered with snowdrops; and in autumn they went to collect nuts. Though the first building teams came there, only five years ago Lazdynai has turned today into a built-up area with a population of 42,000. It has 175 apartment houses, 10 nursery-and-kindergarten complexes, two secondary schools, trade, service and medical centres, and a number of other public buildings. In shqH, it is a real city within a city.

This is the first time in the history' of the massscale housing construction in the U.S.S.R. that an area created by the

industrial method received such a high appraisal and award. In keeping with the architect’s idea, the natural landscape was preserved here. The area has apartment houses of 15 different heights, forms and contours. Many new' materials and textures for the finishing of facades and interiors were used. Some of the light-col-oured houses tower over the hills, others (blocked together) create independent snug neighbourhoods, and still others descend in terraces down the slopes to the river or pine forests. Nature has become an

important component of the whole ensemble. One gets a pleasing panorama from the windows of the houses. There is a good deal of space between the houses, and closed courtyards provide children’s playgrounds. Lazdynai has become a real rest zone, for the environment is well taken care of. There is plenty of fresh air and a calm atmosphere. At the same time its inhabitants do not feel themselves tom away from the rest of the city. One can reach the heart of Vilnius in 15 or 20 minutes by taking a bus or trolleybus which runs along straight and broad routes.