MERKO has completed the restoration of the historic Kaunas barracks building
Under a contract signed last June between UAB Merko Statyba and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the company renovated a cultural heritage barracks building in Kaunas.
The historic building, listed in the Register of Cultural Heritage, was in dire need of repair – the walls had cracked and the roof had collapsed, and the building was in a dilapidated condition.
“In order to improve the infrastructure of the barracks and to increase the attractiveness of military service, the building needed to be renovated. Now all the construction works have been completed, soldiers can use the renovated barracks, which meet their needs today”, said the commander of the country’s Special Operations Forces Mindaugas Mazonas.
According to Saulijus Putrimas, Director of UAB Merko Statyba, the project required the preservation and, in some places, the restoration of the valuable features of the building, and all work also had to meet NATO’s high quality standards.
“Our skilled employees and their partners have completed all the works on time and to a high standard, resulting in the 19th century building being brought back to life, and furnished in a comfortable and modern way, fully adapted to its current use”, commented the head of UAB Merko Statyba.
The reconstruction included the replacement of the roof, reinforcement of the foundations, replacement of internal engineering systems, wooden windows, renovation of the façade, installation of the barracks (not only living quarters, but also working rooms, study rooms, sanitary and auxiliary facilities), and the landscaping of the environment. At the same time, the frescoes had to be preserved and cleaned up, and the staircases, built during the time of the Russian Tsar, had to be replaced in a way that would not be different from what they had looked before. Unusual solutions were required as well. For example, while the work was in progress, a temporary roof was built over the structure to prevent it from getting wet any more.
The value of the works is about EUR 6 million.