Caran D’Ache Youth Recreational Center, Rēzekne

All projectsCaran D'Ache Youth Recreational Center, Rēzekne

Caran D'Ache Youth Recreational Center, Rēzekne

Latvia

Commissioned by the municipality of Rēzekne, a small town of just 30,000 inhabitants in Latvia’s easternmost region of Latgale, the new youth recreational center Zeimuļs, also known as Caran D’Ache, has rapidly become an unmissable meeting point for the local youngsters. Inaugurated in September 2012, Caran D’Ache offers now over 60 different recreational activities and workshops, regularly attended by more than 300 kids, from toddlers up till young adults of 25. Visitors can freely participate in singing, dancing, playing instruments, ceramics, drawing, sewing, checkers, chess and other clubs, all non-formal education and youth development initiatives aimed at improving, in a safe and supervised environment, the quality of life of young people through a creative stimulation of their own crafts and skills.

Year

2013

Client

Municipality of Rezekne

Product specification and installation

Citrus Solutions

Project partner

East creative service center, Zeimuļs / Caran d'Ache

Contractor

Re&Re

Lighting

SIA Moduls Interjers

Lighting designer

Saals

Strongly inspired by the surrounding landscape, the asymmetrical architecture of this educational center recalls the state-preserved ruins of the nearby medieval castle, which is still the main tourist attraction of Rēzekne. Partially embedded into the ground, the building - along with its 3,000 m2 large roof - links the past to the present by means of an unexpected blend of modern architectural features and medieval graphics. Two lining towers stand out from a geometrically triangulated, grass-covered roof made up of 87 diversely shaped slopes located on four different levels. Enriched by patterns and symbolic elements derived from the ancient Latvian tradition of deities and gods, these slanting, blunt-pencil-shaped towers give the building its name, Zeimuļs, which means 'pencil' in Latgalian, the Latvian dialect of the area. Covered in slate slabs of three different color shades, the façades of the two towers have been further enhanced by a multicolored night-time illumination system.

Fastened to protruding metal wall brackets, 22 GRIVEN’s Parade S-RGBW modular bars with elliptical optics have been installed onto the perimeter of the flat roof of the two lining towers in order to create an even color-changing effect on the vertical stripes made up of slate slabs that decorate the walls. On each tower, 3 units of Parade S-RGBW-60 with elliptical optics have been mounted on three sides, while on the façade fitted with the central glass-wall 2 Parade S-RGBW-40, also with elliptical optics, have found their place. The final result is really amazing: the Latvian patterns stand out as if they were made of light, surprisingly glimmering in the Latvian night.

PARADE S-RGBW-40 and 60 are modular and adjustable super flux, high luminance bars featuring 40 or 60 RGBW LEDs grouped in clusters of 4 LEDs each. Superb output with real uniform color coverage even on close-up installations is provided by the newly conceived elliptical and elliptical wide optics specifically designed for true wall washing effect. The combination of RGBW LEDs offers an unprecedented astonishing white light output quality, as well as a wider variety of intermediate color hues for an even broader range of application purposes. Available also with 20 LEDs, PARADE S-RGBW can be installed in any position and in any orientation, featuring an IP67 weather protection along with a compact size and a light weight manageability.