‘Transformation Projects of Historic Urban Structure and Architecture in the Historic Centre of Riga Territory of the World Heritage Site, since 1997’.

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In 2017 Oskars Redbergs has completed and defended with honors (Magna Cum Laude) his doctoral research at Brandenburgische Technische Universität, Germany. The title of the research is: ‘Transformation Projects of Historic Urban Structure and Architecture in the Historic Centre of Riga Territory of the World Heritage Site, since 1997’. In his interdisciplinary approach knowledge has to be drawn from many different contexts. Therefore he operates where architecture, history and the law meet, in order to reconstruct the scenes and conditions of its formation, as recorded in architecture and in the built environment.

Emphasis is placed on the investigation of archive material and the analysis of the structures built over the last 20 years in the World heritage site. Through analysis of the aforementioned structures in relation to history and the law, he questions the scale and nature of transformations on historical, architectural and urban structure (defined as a Universal Outstanding Value of the World heritage site) under the patrimony of the UNESCO world heritage status and its representative management mechanisms in place.

The thesis reflects his teaching and research philosophy according to which, besides the traditional techniques of scientific research, the research process also leads to a new kind of instrumental knowledge that could in turn guide us towards desired impacts either on the social or urban dimension of politics.

The Doctoral thesis is a continuation of ongoing research that began in 2011 with his appointment as a curator for the European Cultural Days of the European Central Bank (ECB) – Latvia (2013). The research has resulted in the large-scale traveling Architecture exhibition and the book under the same title ‘9 Conditions of Riga: Regeneration and Transformation of the City – Urban Environment and Architecture’. Till now the exhibition has been on show in following cities: Frankfurt am Main/ Germany (2013), Riga/ Latvia (2014) and was included in the programme of the Tallinn Architecture Biennale, Tallinn/ Estonia (2015). This traveling exhibition ‘9 Conditions of Riga’ is the most comprehensive exhibition of the contemporary Architecture built in the historical center of the Riga since 1991. In his concept he highlights the emergence of new urban typologies by offering a new classification for buildings and urban intervention projects in Riga realized in last two decades. The goal of such classification is to reveal the relationship between the physical and social structure of the city and the elusive aspects of contemporary capitalism.
http://hilbig.lv/homepage/tallinn-architecture-biennale-2015

Supervisor of the Dissertation: Prof. Dr.h.c. Dipl.-Ing. Architect Jörg J. Kühn.
Reviewers: Prof. Dr. Axel Klausmeier (Direktor der Stiftung Berliner Mauer),
Prof. Dr. habil. Ojārs Spārītis (President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences).
Head of Examination Board: Prof. Dr. Leo Schmidt, BTU.
Doctoral examination board: Dr. Elke Richter, BTU.

Fields of research according to the Chapters:

• Characterisation of World Heritage Site – the territory of Historic Centre of Riga and its Buffer Zone: theoretical, historical and political aspect
• Characterisation of HCR and its BZ architectural and urban heritage values in legally binding documents and the problems in the current description
• Analysis of urban structure and built environment formation history in the territory of HCR and its BZ: problems related to the current territorial division and boundaries
• Old Riga territory (the earliest masonry building district)
• Territory of former fortifications and esplanade (the second masonry building district)
• Part of the former suburban territory (the third masonry building district)
• The outskirts of the former suburbs (the fourth masonry building district)
• Daugava islands and territory parts of former suburbs in Pārdaugava
• Brief characterisation of transformations implemented until 1991 in historic architecture and urban structure of HCR and its BZ
• Transformations implemented from 1918 to 1940
• Transformations implemented from 1940 to 1991
• Competences and legal basis of institutions involved in protection, preservation and development management of HCR and its BZ territory
• The main institutions involved in protection, preservation and development management of HCR and its BZ territory, and their competences
• Legal basis for protection, preservation and development planning of HCR and its BZ territory
• Transformation projects of the historic buildings in HCR after 1997
• Transformation of the wooden buildings
• Transformation of the wooden buildings in HCR – the territory of former suburbs Transformation of the masonry and concrete buildings
• Transformation of the masonry and concrete buildings in HCR – the Old Rīga territory
• Transformation of the masonry and concrete buildings in HCR – the territory of former fortifications
• Projects of the construction of new buildings in HCR after 1997
• Construction of new buildings in perimeter block situation
• Construction of new buildings in perimeter block situation in HCR – the Old Rīga territory
• Construction of new buildings in perimeter block situation in HCR – the territory of former suburbs
• Construction of new buildings in free standing building situation
• Construction of new buildings in free standing building situation in HCR – the territory of former fortifications
• Transformation projects of city blocks and open public space in HCR after 1997 Transformation of city blocks and open public space in HCR– the Old Rīga territory Transformation of public squares in HCR– the Old Rīga territory
• Transformation of city blocks in HCR– the Old Rīga territory
• Transformation of city blocks and open public space in HCR– the territory of former fortifications
• Transformation of public squares in HCR– the territory of former fortifications
• Transformation of city blocks in HCR– the territory of former fortifications
• Transformation of city blocks and open public space in HCR– the territory of former suburbs