Reconstruction of Kaunas Town Hall and Kaunas City Museum

The reconstruction project transforms the Kaunas Town Hall into a functional, engaging Kaunas City Museum, while enhancing its traditional role as a ceremonial and public venue. Key updates include expanded public areas and redesigned basement and first floors with a larger reception area, café, amenities, educational spaces, and exhibitions. A major highlight is the conversion of the unused attic, preserving its original timber frame while adding a new glass-and-steel pavilion that provides a climate-controlled exhibition space and close-up views of the historic structure.

The project balances preservation and innovation—integrating modern infrastructure with respect for historical materiality—and redefines the Town Hall’s long-lost civic role. The reconstruction transforms Kaunas Town Hall into a contemporary city museum and a venue for cultural and ceremonial events. Spatial reorganization activates the basement and first floor with exhibitions, a café, and educational spaces. The most striking intervention converts the unused attic into a climate-controlled exhibition hall within a glass-and-steel pavilion that reveals the historic timber frame. Below its bridge-like structure, HVAC and technical systems are integrated, using the cold attic volume for heat exchange. A sculptural staircase connects all levels, exposing hidden structural elements and traces of earlier renovations. Minimalist additions in dark oxidized copper emphasize the dialogue between old and new. The museum’s 18 thematic spaces explore what defines a city and what makes Kaunas unique, guiding visitors through its cultural and historical layers—experienced through both the architecture and the exhibition narrative.

The reconstruction of Kaunas Town Hall integrates contemporary building technologies with respect for its historical fabric, while critically re-evaluating and refining elements introduced during the 1973 renovation. Guided by the architectural principle of maximizing public accessibility, the structural concept emphasizes minimal intervention in the original masonry and timber structures, introducing only selective openings and replacing lower-quality later additions with carefully integrated new elements. The structural design of the new attic pavilion was developed to preserve the historic roof, employing a specially engineered steel frame with concealed bolted joints to minimize welding and other on-site construction risks. Particular attention was devoted to HVAC and fire safety solutions: by utilizing the attic volume for heat exchange and reusing existing service cavities formed over the building’s history, the design accommodates an efficient climate-control system suitable for a public building while significantly reducing overall energy consumption.