„D9 – Artsy Office”– new home for „Noewe”
The investment company “D9” has opened an office-gallery “D9 Artsy Office” in Vilnius, at A. Domaševičiaus st. 9, where all “Noewe” group companies will gather under one roof. The building itself has a long and fascinating history, therefore the new owners had the challenge of adapting the spaces to modern needs while preserving the heritage. The architect studio IMPLMNT architects was invited to create the D9 Artsy Office and paid a lot of attention to the authentic historical and architectural value of the building.
The history of the building and the challenges of reconstruction
The building is included in the register of cultural values of the Republic of Lithuania and is valuable for restored and preserved authentic elements – polychrome ceiling and wall painting, mouldings, carpentry-worked filing doors and window frames, fragments of oak parquet. The facade has remained almost unchanged since the beginning of the 20th century and therefore it is one of the most prominent examples of modern architecture in Vilnius.
According to the architects, when thinking about adapting the building to its new functions, the entire reconstruction concept was based on two words – museum and gallery, since the collection of more than 170 works of art belonging to the “Noewe Foundation” was to be located here. A lot of attention was also paid to indoor lighting. The lighting created in the old part of the building highlights the authentic walls and ceilings, while the concentrated lighting is dedicated to the artwork.
Art collection containing famous contemporary art works
The artworks have become an important part of the “D9 Artsy Office”, which contextually extends the history of the building and creates new narratives. The private art fund “Noewe Foundation”, founded by Vilius and Rita Kavaliauskai, consists of 20th century Lithuanian modernist art and works of Lithuanian and international contemporary art from 1990 to the present day. The ever-growing archive of contemporary art currently consists of works of different media, from paintings, sculptures, photography to video works, installations or performance documentation. Currently, the fund stores more than 1,500 works.
An office and co-working space to the rhythm of the gallery
The Noewe group has been looking for a space that could accommodate all the companies involved and retrieve all the works of art that have been in storage until now. “We fell for the historical part of the building, as well as the huge atrium, ideal for larger sculptures and installations. When the owners of the building offered us to settle in this space, the idea and task for the architects was born immediately – an open, clean, museum-like interior, made unique by the works of art,” says Vilius Kavaliauskas, Founder of the Noewe group and Chairman of the Board of the Noewe Foundation.
What’s next?
In the future “Artsy Office” will be open not only to the guests of the “Noewe” group, but also to a wider audience – the Vilnius community, guests of the city. It will be a kind of continuation of the premises on Bernardinų Street, where “Noewe Foundation” is located. Open door days with pre-registration will be held once in a while.
More about new “Noewe” home here:
- Vž.lt: „When you go to work like to a gallery: 170 works of art in the new “Noewe” office“ (in Lithuanian)
- Delfi.lt: „New space in th center of Vilnius combines heritage, smart office and stars of contemporary art“ (in Lithuanian)
- Arterritory.com: „An art house for work“ (in English)
- „D9 Artsy Office“ Facebook page
