the best future skyline in the baltics

[Homer]

until 2010

[Geex]

I can see we will have another city VS city discussion :)

Anyway i don't know which city will have best future skyline, all three Baltic capital (and not only capital) cities have a lot of projects and U/C so it's really hard to tell. And we still don't know how many new projects will be proposed in future and how much of them will be approved and builded.

Only thing i can say, that NCC in Vilnius will look really nice if every now only "visional" project will be completed. But on other hand Tallinn will have really good skyline too and Riga is booming with projects so they will have something to show too. So i don't know :dunno:

[Moolio]

Tallinn.

While all the Baltic capitals have many hi-rise projects going on, Tallinn has the most urban downtown district of all choices -- with or without hi-rise buildings.

[Estboy]

Tallinn;although Vilnius has more skyscrapers,they aren't so together and don't make such a fabulous skyline;)
and Riga...not yet:)

[ch1le]

well, atm, Tallinn has most skyscraper uc in downtown area giving a great impact in skyline, so 2010 Tallinn (IF ONLy THE ONES UC counted), Vilnius gets the cheese atm...
i really dont know, Riga will have the breadwinner if it gets alot of projects done in Kipsala, i cant see anything else owning atm, If vilnius has all its highrise plans concentrated in NCC it would kick ass for sure...

[ZuluKingOfTheDwarfPeople]

I dont know but from what I have seen all look impresive, but personally I would say Tallinn...

[Eerik]

As an outsider “looking-in” I would say Tallinn. But comparing to American cities:

Vilnius reminds me of a Atlanta or Los Angeles;
Tallinn and its urban fabric is like New York City; and
Riga is all-classical like Washington DC.

[Mantas]

^^^ An outsider who is from estonian origin ;)

Do you compare skylines or whole cities?

[John]

As an outsider I would say it's Vilnius :yes:
;)

[Kommentare]

As an outsider “looking-in” I would say Tallinn. But comparing to American cities:

Vilnius reminds me of a Atlanta or Los Angeles;
Tallinn and its urban fabric is like New York City; and
Riga is all-classical like Washington DC.

Have you ever been to Vilnius ?

[Obstacle]

These are mine: http://www.zone.ee/mary-christ/arhitektuur.htm

sorry, some buildings didn't fit in, someday i will go up there and take better ones

http://www.zone.ee/mary-christ/Piltide%20lehed/arhitektuur/skyline.htm

Skyline of Vilnius really looks like a miniature L.A, the round tower in the middle, i think, is the reason and a thight cluster.

alex3000 from L.A forum
http://img94.exs.cx/img94/4237/dsc000644ma.jpg
John
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/johngang/Vilnius/NCC_BT/IMG_5797_filtered.jpg

[ch1le]

Have you ever been to Vilnius ?

are you saying Tallinn cluster has less Urbanity then Vilnius NCC? give me a break :)

[Eerik]

Have you ever been to Vilnius ?

I have been to Vilnius several times, as well as Riga and the American cities I compared them to...

I love all three of the Baltics, that which makes them similar and different of one another. To me Riga is generally a city reminiscnet of a Paris, Washington DC, or London, where traditionally skyscrapers have been non-existant (until recently). Riga is great to walk and marvel at the details within the architecture, and the sheer size of the city. Tallinn has a dense cluster beyond its old town where you feel the compact nature of the new town. There seems to be a buzz of commerce, like in New York or Frankfurt. Vilnius does have of late new highrises which are most impressive, but in general the city is fairly spread out and mostly low scale development with the exception of mid-density clusters here and there; it really feels like a LA or Houston, or Dallas.

If I were to take a pick, I'd still pick Riga or Tallinn. Besides great downtowns, I like that they are near the sea...

[Eerik]

^^^ An outsider who is from estonian origin ;)

Do you compare skylines or whole cities?

Oh give me a break. As an outsider of "Estonian origin" I should say that I am embarrased by all three Baltic capitals for how unimpressive they are compared to the skylines in Frankfurt, Chicago, or Toronto...

My "origin" has nothing to do with it...

I simply take an occasional look here to see what new developments are going on in the Baltics and it sppears that most of the time all I read about it 'who is better', who has the biggest whatever, bla-bla-bla...

And to the question of comparing skylines or whole cities: the answer is both. Just because a city has an impressive skyline by default does not make that city a true economic player by any means...

[Kubster]

Don't know about the future but today it's Tallinn :D

[ZuluKingOfTheDwarfPeople]

Hmm I thought Eric in Estonian was Eero...

[delfin_pl]

Talinn has the best skyline, Vilnius has the nicest towers and Riga has the best city atmosphere, I think I'm just :)

[ch1le]

Hmm I thought Eric in Estonian was Eero...

Eric can be just Eric or EERIK :)

[jozikas]

i fink Ryga ant Klaipeda :D

[Gatis]

Riga is generally a city reminiscnet of a Paris, Washington DC, or London, where traditionally skyscrapers have been non-existant (until recently)

Highrises in Riga were built long before Vilnius or Tallinn even thought about them.

[John]

Highrises in Riga were built long before Vilnius or Tallinn even thought about them.

Besides the Academy of Science this doesn't seem to be the case ;)

[ch1le]

17 years isnt SUCH a long time :) And Academy of Science, well, is a bigger version of similar "gifts" in other EE countries, the first Real scraper in the baltic states was still Viru Hotel, and the first "real" scraper after soviet times was Unionbank

[ch1le]

Highrises in Riga were built long before Vilnius or Tallinn even thought about them.

oh, and during first republic im sure we thought of 12+ floor buildings, and mby even taller ones

[Gatis]

OMG, you are funny! First highrise building (according to emporis standards) in Riga WAS built in middle 1930ies - on Dzirnavu Street. In the end of 1930ies here were planned 30+ floor buildings, there were made detailed plans for them. Soviet occupation ended these dreams - otherwise around 1943 we would have several real skyscrapers.

Let's look later.
Academy of Science, of course, was the first real highrise in Baltics. It has 21 floor and is built as were built highrises in these times - it was designed in the end of 1940ies, built in 1955. Can not imagine why you do not want to count it - seeems, just because it is not located in Tallinn or Vilnius...
Lets look later. In the middle of 1960ies there is planned that Riga will be the highrise city with quite impressive highrise clusters instead of Art Nouveau district. In the end of 1960ies there is started Preses nams and Ministry of Agriculture, there are made detailed designs for several more highrise buildings. But the Soviet style bureaucracy makes these projects very slow and it takes 10 years to complete them.
OK, in 1972 in Estonia there is built Hotel Viru, 23 floors. In this time in Riga there are three highrises halfway besides Academy of Science. In 1980 in Tallinn there are two buildings over 20 floors, in Vilnius - none, in Riga - four.

Riga does not have CLUSTER of highrises (yet). But it has highrises, it has historical highrises, it has rich history of highrises (and highrise districts) not built in 1930ies-1990ies. Highrises are traditional for Riga and any comparison with Washington are not valid.

[Edd]

In Vilnius in 1982 Hotel "Lietuva" was opened, the constructions of it started in 1962. Hotel "Lietuva" was part of the plan of new city center which was not realised also (I don't know if more high-rises with more than 20 floors were included in those plans) - yes NCC which is being realised today was planned a long time ago (ofcourse a lot different ;)). But I think it's a bit funny to talk about "rich history of planned but not built high-rises" or "rich history of two high-rises". :)

And Gatis your reaction was a bit strange to me and quite "hot and angry" - I did not expect it from you. ( Read carefully what John said about Academy of Science - he did not say that he does not want to count it - on the contrary. )

Edit: look below - John explained everything. ;)

[John]

Gatis, nobody said that Academy of Science is not a skyscraper or a highrise, it really is, but it seems to be the only one built in these times while others were built in the 70's - just as in Tallinn or Vilnius.

Talking about plans. As you might know construction of Hotel Lietuva was started back in 1962 (it was designed in late 50's or early 60's, not sure when exactly), too bad it lasted so long until 1982. The detailed plan of the area included 4 more highrises of 20+ floors - they were planned in the exact same location as EA, ET and the Municipality building now is. These were the plans set in early 60's (or even late 50's as I mentioned). I don't have a visual to show but I saw it at the municipality and that's what one of the architects told me. The whole project was prepared by brothers Nasvyciai (the same architects who designed Hotel Lietuva).
So your remark "Highrises in Riga were built long before Vilnius or Tallinn even thought about them." is not exactly correct. That's my point ;)

Anyway maybe I'll try to get that visual, it's really interesting to see how officials saw things and architecture back in those times.

[erki89]

Guys, the thread is about the best FUTURE skyline, not the best skyline in the 50's ;)

[Gatis]

OK, now I calmed down. I have grown weary of this attitude "Tallinn and Vilnius has got long tradition of highrises and done a lot etc etc while Riga hasn't anything worth in this field and is flat and has to start from zero and bla bla bla". Jeez, Riga has gone very long and thorny way, built comparatively much and is ready now to have these highrises growing as mushrooms.

Our planners and architects, when planning new highrise district, have 70 years long searches and detailed plannings to base upon. In middle 1930-ies, when city for the first time planned its highrise district, there were two options - southern part of Kipsala and Old City. Unfortunately Old City option won, they started to remove historical buildings.... then came Russians and then Germans... etc. and you know what happened. Then came Soviet times, Old City was recognised as value... and highrise district was planned in Art Nouveau Centre. Started all this campaign telling that Art Nouveau is something without historical value, two highrises in this part were built, there was stiff fighting between architects, many did not want to see highrises there, as a result came out two more "loose teeth" in middle of historical buildings - Hotel Latvija and Ministry of Agriculture.
Cluster of planned highrises around Hotel Latvija, middle of 1960ies. There were planned several more clusters in Centre. Jeez, I am happy, this did not happen.
http://img95.exs.cx/img95/7213/e2hcentradebesskrapj.jpg
Btw. seems, in those Soviet times they liked to build highrises 10 - 20 years long...

[ch1le]

Indeed Gatis, but that isnt any difference from the plans Tallinn and similarily Vilnius had! And you saying that Riga got before we ever dreamed was as bad as me saying Riga wasnt thinking first...

[Mantas]

You guys should be happy that there are less highrise commies than there could have been :| I think let's just stick with the present ;)