COMPOSERS’ UNION BUILDING WITH A RESIDENTIAL BLOCK

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The Composers’ House with a residential quarter, located in the Žvėrynas district in a quiet pine forest by the Neris River, is one of the first masterpieces of post-war modernist architecture.

The competition, announced in 1959, was won by a duo of young and ambitious architects, Vytautas Edmundas Čekanauskas and Vytautas Brėdikis. The project was continued and completed by Čekanauskas, who later designed the Lazdynai district, the Contemporary Art Centre, and the Palace of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

The complex reflects the admiration of Vilnius architects of the time for Finnish regional modernism in harmony with national identity. Its contextual nature and harmony with nature make it a building complex that is certainly not noticeable to all passers-by.

This work, carrying the stamp of subtlety, is the first project of the still very young Čekanauskas and his first “school” as an architect. The Composers’ House is decorated with an expressive butterfly roof inspired by Le Corbusier’s work, while in the case of the interior, Čekanauskas used Saturnas vacuum cleaners which were turned into luminaires.

The Composers’ House complex is still fascinating not only because of its sensitivity to nature, but also because of the interesting history of its creation and existence.