Balkonas

Balkonas is the title of the urban development plan created by Karres en Brands for 11 hectares in the heart of the historic centre of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania. The client is the developer – also the owner of the former shoe factory in the plan area – in partnership with the city council. This partnership is in itself quite exceptional in eastern European Lithuania. The aim is ambitious: not only to redevelop the factory site, but to transform the surrounding area, which runs from a busy roundabout and the entrance to the city up to the riverbanks. A connection must be made with the old city, and to the nearby castle.

An intensive preliminary workshop lasting several days, attended by a number of international design teams, resulted in a vision for the area. This was done by means of a number of presentations, discussions, lectures, and work on the plan on location in the old factory. Selected teams (including karres+brands) were then asked to further develop their vision into a more concrete urban development plan. 

The basic principle of Balkonas is to extend the urban structure of the old city up to the river. The city is extended to the waterside, and sometimes even into the water, creating a ‘balcony’ for the city. By relocating the road that now runs alongside the river, a space is created for dwellings near the water, and a pier for pedestrians. In accordance with the desired diversity of the development, there is a mixture of dwellings, shops, offices, parks and cultural facilities. The location has many intrinsic qualities, and by utilising, restoring and strengthening these qualities where necessary the new plan can make a direct connection with the locality, and by doing so, the identity of the area can grow.