Investing in the well-being of its employees, one of Latvia's leading timber industry companies, “Stiga RM”, will begin construction this July on a five-storey apartment building in Kuldīga with a total area of 4,800 m2. The planned costs for the project are estimated at approximately 5 million euros. With the completion of this unique project by next spring, 65 apartments will be provided for the company's employees and their families; furthermore, this will be the first apartment building of its kind in Kuldīga since the late 1980s and the largest residential project currently under development in the town.
“Nowadays, there is much talk about a healthy and motivating work environment; we at “Stiga RM” want to go one step further and also provide our employees with modern and pleasant housing. That is why we are starting the construction of a residential building in Kuldīga with well-thought-out apartment layouts, modern interiors, and convenient logistics just ten minutes away from the “Stiga RM” plywood factory, thus ensuring a quick commute to work and home,” says “Stiga RM” owner Andris Ramoliņš.
This project, unprecedented in Latvia, is being developed in collaboration with the architectural firm SIA "Lauder Architects”. “It provides everything necessary for our employees and their families to feel truly comfortable. In this way, we also plan to attract the attention of new, strong specialists in the fields of manufacturing and engineering and encourage them to choose “Stiga RM” so that they can use their knowledge to promote the production of high value-added products, as well as the development of the sector and the region,” emphasises A. Ramoliņš.
The 16-metre-high residential building will be located at 1A Lapegļu Street in Kuldīga. It will offer three-room, two-room, and studio-type apartments with balconies, suitable for family living. For the residents' convenience, car and bicycle parking will be provided, as well as individual storage units and technical rooms in the building's basement. It should be noted that the residential building will meet nearly zero-energy building standards, and a lift will be installed to ensure accessibility.
“As elsewhere, the availability of housing is a topical issue in the Kuldīga Municipality, so we are pleased with the “Stiga RM” initiative to get involved in the development of the municipality's housing stock. Although the new building is primarily intended for company employees, it will significantly relieve the housing market and improve the availability of apartments in the municipality. By purposefully organising the city's infrastructure and building out the street network, the local government has also given the green light to further private-initiative-based new residential construction projects in Kuldīga, in order to implement a development direction essential to the municipality in cooperation with entrepreneurs – the creation of affordable living spaces for the city's residents,” says the Chairperson of the Kuldīga Municipality Council, Inese Astaševska.
Both existing employees and new specialists who wish to work at “Stiga RM” in any field of interest, such as timber processing, forest management, or metalworking, will be offered the opportunity to receive a rental apartment with the right to purchase – essentially the right to use the apartment while gradually buying it into their own ownership.
The construction of the apartment building in Kuldīga is a pilot project; looking at a five-year perspective, “Stiga RM” sees the potential to build a similar structure in the owner’s home village of Smārde, which is located just 10 km from Tukums. The implementation of such a project will expand opportunities for employees and also help to develop Smārde's infrastructure and increase its profile on the map of Latvia.