Authorisations and consents are piling up, bringing the day the Riga Ferris wheel draws new contours in the city skyline, closer. During the project development, a lot of time was devoted to a thorough analysis of the twists and turns of Victory Park’s history. A detailed study by Linda Zala (Linda Zaļā), a landscape architect, has been carried out and a development plan for the part of the park between Uzvaras Boulevard (Uzvaras bulvāris), Ranka Dam (Raņķa dambis), Slokas Street (Slokas iela) and Aleksandra Grina Boulevard (Aleksandra Grīna bulvāris) has been elaborated. The walkways there follow the historical concept of the park, however, other solutions are modern and meet the quality and safety requirements of the 21st century. So, what is it really going to look like at the foot of the Riga Ferris wheel?
A new place for date nights
The main location to meet at before visiting the wheel is going to be the Central Square, symbolically the north gate of the Victory Park, which is also going to play an important functional role: the Ferris wheel service pavilion is going to be located here, which is going to be the technical unit of the wheel activity as well as a ticket office, place for briefing on visiting the Ferris wheel and sanitary facilities for visitors during the opening hours of the wheel. It is this Square that may become the new place for date nights in Pardaugava, where you can enjoy the bustling and lively city life in green and landscaped surroundings, ending the day with a romantic sunset at a height of 65 meters.
Priority – safety
The Ferris wheel is an appealing pastime that attracts a lot of people. Therefore, it is very important to create a safe environment in its territory. The part of the park where the wheel is going to be located will be equipped with close-circuit television, which will ensure security not only at the foot of the wheel, but also follow the flow of visitors only starting to gather at a distance.
Comfort day and night
The comfort and well-being of visitors is our number one priority – after all, the very essence of the Ferris wheel is to bring joy! Therefore, comfortable and ergonomic benches will be distributed in the vicinity, in the evening the park will be illuminated by environmentally friendly LED technology luminaires, and in order to share positive emotions or just have a good time, visitors will have access to a free Wi-Fi network.
Street infrastructure – given the proposals of local residents
No entertainment is more important than the comfort of the locals, because the home should be a haven of peace. Therefore, during the project development, we have listened carefully to the wants of the residents of the surrounding houses and take them into account when building the infrastructure of the territory. One of the most important additions to the street infrastructure will be a signal-controlled crossing on Slokas Street, which will safely connect the two parts of the park. It will be equipped with lighting, traffic lights as well as special safety barriers, since not only the road section but also the tramway has to be crossed here. A lot of attention has also been paid to other details: the lighting of the park, the network of walkways, a safe environment, micromobility and other wants of the local residents.
An oasis of micromobility
The future begins today – with every choice, decision and action we make. We believe that the future will be greener than today, so there will be both bicycle parking and an electric scooter charging station at the foot of the Ferris wheel, so that everyone can get to the Ferris wheel quickly, conveniently and in an environmentally friendly way. There are several public transport stops nearby, just a few minutes’ walk away. The Riga Ferris wheel will welcome guests who arrive modernly – on foot, by bicycle, by scooter or by public transport, making Riga even greener. For the comfort of pedestrians, the network of walkways will be supplemented with a new walkway parallel to the tramway on Slokas Street.
Natural materials and blooming roofs
The Riga Ferris wheel will be as energy efficient as possible, and natural materials such as wood will be used in the surrounding infrastructure as well. It will be the main construction material used in the building of the service pavilion, combining a functional, comfortable and beautiful design with sustainable solutions. But the cherry on top of the cake will be the living roof of the pavilion, which will delight with different flower colours in spring, summer and autumn. There will also be a living roof on top of the operator’s station, which may be viewed by anyone who allows the Ferris wheel to lift themselves up into the sky – with the seagulls, clouds and the peaks of the Riga towers.
