An architectural highlight on the left bank of the Nemunas River
Poemos is being built next to the future pedestrian bridge linking Nemunaičiai with Nemunas Island. The project’s architectural design was selected through an invited international architectural competition, in which teams of Lithuanian and international architects submitted their proposals. The architectural practice G. Natkevičius ir Partneriai's concept was selected for the project.
Visvaldas Matijošaitis, Mayor of Kaunas, who attended the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony, recalled discussions with business people about developing this part of the city during his first term as mayor.
„Back then, we were still only planning a new bridge; we were dreaming of a concert hall and other projects, but entrepreneurs believed in those plans and in the potential of this area, and began to invest – that is how the left bank of the Nemunas River began to change. It’s great to see that the people of Kaunas haven’t forgotten their city; they’re returning here with investments, talented architects and new projects,“ said Visvaldas Matijošaitis.
Martynas Reichertas, CEO of SBA Urban, noted that Poemos will occupy a symbolic place in this context – the buildings rising next to the future pedestrian bridge will welcome people arriving in the Nemunaičiai neighbourhood from Nemunas Island.
„Poemos will become a kind of gateway to Nemunaičiai for those arriving via the new bridge from Nemunas Island. From the very beginning, together with architect Gintautas Natkevičius and his team, we aimed to create architecture in this exceptional location that would be worthy of the banks of the Nemunas and the new centre of Kaunas. I do not doubt that our construction partners, EIKA Construction, will successfully realise this vision, and that Poemos will be a source of pride not only for its developers and residents, but for the whole city,“ says Martynas Reichertas.
„We are delighted to be returning to Nemunaičiai, where we contributed to the construction work as early as the first phase of the quarter’s development. Since then, this part of the city has been changing rapidly, and Poemos will become yet another exceptional part of it. We appreciate the trust that SBA Urban has placed in our team, and we are ready once again to take on the responsibility of main contractor – to ensure the construction process runs smoothly and to carry out the work entrusted to us to a high standard,“ says Almantas Čebanauskas, CEO of EIKA Construction.
20 per cent of the apartments have already been reserved
The two Poemos buildings, six and eight storeys high, on the banks of the Nemunas River will comprise 42 apartments, ranging in size from 59 to 140 sqm. The project is entering the active construction phase with more than 20 per cent of apartments already reserved.
The architecture of the two buildings, which differ in height, has been designed to make the best possible use of the opportunities offered by the location on the banks of the Nemunas River while also ensuring residents’ privacy. Only a few apartments are planned per floor, whilst the residences on the upper floors can be combined to form homes occupying an entire floor.
„This is not a project that could simply be relocated to another part of the city,“ noted architect Natkevičius. When creating Poemos, the location itself dictated the design direction – the Nemunas River, the city panorama and the various directions in which the views open up. We wanted people stepping out on to the terrace to feel as though they were on a captain’s bridge, with the Nemunas, the Old Town, Santaka and the western horizon spread out before them. That is why the architecture of the buildings has been shaped to make the most of the specific views offered by this location.“
The project includes two levels of underground car park, electric vehicle charging points, motorcycle parking spaces and a secure bicycle storage area. A specially designed green space will be created in the inner courtyard.
Residents will have concierge services, while a smart home system integrating heating, ventilation, lighting, access control and security solutions will help manage day-to-day household operations.
The two Poemos buildings – Forest and Sea – are named after M. K. Čiurlionis’s symphonic poems, thus continuing the connection with the concert centre bearing his name, which is being built nearby.