The team of Vincents Architecture, under the competition of 7 other projects, won the open competitive competition of the designs, which has been announced by the Liepaja City Council, in order to create an open-air centre for sports and outdoor activities on the island Zirgu in the Liepaja Lake.

As it has been stated by the jury: "The authors designed the island in such a way that everyone on this island could find for himself/herself the most appropriate form of recreation and the most suitable place - a quiet, peaceful place, or vice versa – an active one". Substantiating the advantages of the sketch proposed by Vincents Architecture, the following has been mentioned in the Jury’s decision: "There is a very deliberately planned functional zoning and the integration of the objects (activities) into the specific natural environment. The specific environmental character of the island has been preserved, as well as the proposed solutions are thoroughly evaluated, taking into account that this area is the specially protected natural territory Natura 2000, as well as the solutions are technically feasible from the economic point of view”.

The concept of the island park Zirgu, developed by Vincents Architecture, is based on the unified, space-structured dialogue between the territories of the active and passive recreation, thus further facilitating the highly-qualitative development of the surroundings of the Lake Liepāja.

The major advantages of the implementation of this project 

1. Thanks to the implementation of the concept of the park island Zirgu, in Liepaja,a new public space in the open air is created, as well as the quality of recreation forthe local population and city’s guests is improved.
2. The island park Zirgu will create for the surroundings of the lake a new identitywhich corresponds to the 21st century and which is based on the interactionbetween the active and passive recreation in the natural territory. 
3. The concept of the project offers the well-structured and gradually implementedprinciples of development, which will eventually lead to the rational development ofthe Lake Liepāja.
4. On the island Zirgu, the unified visual identity will be created for the park buildings and park elements (for information stands, lighting devices, benches, bridges, and so forth).

Taking into account the existing encumbrances and the future development scenarios, the area of the island Zirgu is evenly divided into five types of 150 mwide recreation areas, which have different functional significance and identity. The names of the areas - Start, Motion, Nature, Lake - characterize the significance of the corresponding area in the general concept of the park island Zirgu.

The purpose of the concept of the park island Zirgu is to promote the interaction between the active and passive recreation. The recreation areas, located in the western part of the island, are designed for the active activities (recreation), and the areas of the eastern part of the island, in their turn, are designed for a calm recreation and for enjoying the nature.

The conception of the Island Park Zirgu provides a network of the artisticallyexpressive roads of different values, which also will improve the landscape value ofthe environment. The main element of the road network is the main promenade, which will create a circle around the island Zirgu. The circle of the promenade will provide the gradual integration of the northern territory of the island into the complex of the park, as well as the unified functionality will be provided and the guests will get an opportunity to walk around the entire island. 

In the park of the island Zirgu, UCI certified BMX cycle racing track is equipped with the necessary auxiliary buildings of modular type and the open-air tribunes, as well as there are the slipways for boats, garages and repair workshops, playground for mini golf, playgrounds, Nature House, picnic areas and places for swimming.

The main manager of Vincents Architecture: Guna Eglite

Project manager: Ojārs Šablovskis

Project group: Jurģis Vizulis, Jūlija Kononova, Laura Meija, Signe Tauriņa, Ingrīda Dreimane, Baiba Drengere