Rahel Belatchew Juror in Latvian Architectural Competition

The Latvian organization Green Homes have organized Latvia’s first national competition in wooden architecture during the spring of 2008.

The founder of RB Arkitektur, Rahel Belatchew, participated in an international jury that awarded the following winners:

In the category ”Detached Houses” the “Laci” house by architect Ervins Krauklis was awarded.

In the category ”Public Buildings” the concert hall “Dzintari” by architect Modris Gelzis was awarded.

In the category ”Reconstruction of wooden buildings” the displacing of buildings from the A. Briana street to the Kipsala, Oglu street, by architect Zaigas Gaile, was awarded.

The Latvian Wooden Architecture Annual Award went to the country estate "Pucites” by architects Andra Sulca and Liene Griezite.

- Since Latvia and Sweden both have a long tradition in wooden architecture, it was an honor to point out the new wave of contemporary buildings made of wood, says Rahel Belatchew.

- The fact that the competition was organized by the Green Homes association, who highlights sustainable architecture, is particularly interesting since we have presented a number of green projects, such as the ecological prefab “Eco House”, the “Green Pavilion” in Stockholm’s City and also the “Villa UH1” with a roof covered with green moss, combining contemporary architecture with sustainable building materials and low energy consumption, Rahel Belatchew continues.

About RB ARKITEKTUR and RAHEL BELATCHEW

RB Arkitektur is an architectural practice working in the field of contemporary and innovative architecture, and has attracted much attention in international media and has also been published in several architectural books.

Rahel Belatchew was appointed Architect of the Year 2006/2007 by receiving ’The Great Design Award’ from Residence Magazine.

In the summer of 2007 Wallpaper*, the international design magazine, chose RB Arkitektur for its Architects Directory: 101 of the world’s most exciting new architects. The directory emphasizes RB Arkitektur’s ambition to identify the uniqueness of each project through extensive analysis of each different programme. Such an approach allows for a variety of expressions and architectural solutions.

RB Arkitektur was founded by Rahel Belatchew, who was born in Ethiopia in 1969, and grew up in Uppsala, Sweden. After receiving a Masters Degree in Architecture from Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris, Rahel worked as an architect in Paris, Luxemburg and Tokyo. After a decade of working abroad, she returned to Sweden in the year of 2000.

Contact Information

Rahel Belatchew

Architect / CEO

RB Arkitektur AB

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