The Zunda Towers (formerly known as the Z-Towers) are a pair of skyscrapers in Riga, Latvia.[2][1][6] The buildings were designed by Latvian architectural firm F.L.Tadao & Lukševics, while the façade was designed by architect Helmut Jahn.[3][4][5] Both towers have a mix of office space and residential units.[7]
The total cost of the project was more than €250 million.[7] The towers were completed in 2017, and opened a few years later.[7][8]
Buildings
The complex consists of two cylindrical towers, covered in glass.[7] The taller of the two towers rises to a height of 123 m (404 ft), while the second tops out at 117 m (384 ft).[7] Both of the buildings are 30 stories high, and are joined at the base by 5 publicly accessible floors.[1][8] The complex houses 336 apartments, has 10,000 m2 (100,000 sq ft) of office space, and includes parking space for 700 cars.[8]
Development
The project was first established in 2004.[4] At one point, the complex was planned to be a hotel managed by Starwood, owner of the Sheraton hotel chain, and was scheduled for completion in 2010.[4] The construction project took over 13 years to complete, and cost more than €250 million.[7] The towers were completed in 2017.[8]
Yuri Shefler, a Russian billionaire who heads the SPI Group, is one of the main proponents of the project.[7] The SPI Group owns the Stolichnaya brand of vodka, which is made in Latvia.[7][1] It also has an interest in Latvijas Balzams, Latvia's largest producer of alcoholic beverages.[4] Shefler has previously publicly expressed his opposition to Russian president Vladimir Putin's regime, and conducts his business in Latvia to avoid the Russian political environment.[1]