The building on 69, Barona Street, the very center of Riga, was built in 1928 for the state telegraph services. Now the Art Deco style house has been transformed into a modern office building.
The main idea behind the Hallo! offices is to put humans at the center of its concept. Special attention was given to the courtyard, which is not one’s usual car parking lot. As with so many of the courtyards based in Riga’s city center, that at 69, Barona Street was also used as a carpark before reconstruction began. That needs to change. Cities need to work for people, not cars, and human voices are a much prettier sound than motors — that was the focal point behind Annvil’s design concept.
Now the courtyard is a multifunctional space to meet with other office dwellers as well as visitors. Created as an extension of the offices inside, it features a meeting zone, workstations and outdoor seating. It is created to be comfortable in various weather conditions, so it can be used for at least half the year.
As a tribute to the original purpose of the building as a center of early modern communications, its facade features fragments from different conversations — open, unpredictable, exciting and diplomatic. The name of the complex — Hallo! — is familiar to everyone who has used a phone, even if they have never received a telegram.
