Zunda Towers
The Zunda Towers are a pair of skyscrapers in Riga, Latvia. The buildings were designed by Latvian architectural firm F.L.Tadao & Lukševics, while the façade was designed by architect Helmut Jahn. Both towers have a mix of office space and residential units.
The total cost of the project was more than €250 million. The towers were completed in 2017, and opened a few years later.
Buildings
The complex consists of two cylindrical towers, covered in glass. The taller of the two towers rises to a height of, while the second tops out at. Both of the buildings are 30 stories high, and are joined at the base by 5 publicly accessible floors. The complex houses 336 apartments, has of office space, and includes parking space for 700 cars.Development
The project was first established in 2004. 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. The construction project took over 13 years to complete, and cost more than €250 million. The towers were completed in 2017.Yuri Shefler, a Russian billionaire who heads the SPI Group, is one of the main proponents of the project. The SPI Group owns the Stolichnaya brand of vodka, which is made in Latvia. It also has an interest in Latvijas Balzams, Latvia's largest producer of alcoholic beverages. 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.