On December 22, 2020, HOFT, House of the Flying Trees, a unique residential house at Strelnieku iela, 5 was commissioned.
The House of the Flying Trees is located at the most picturesque intersection of the Quiet Centre, on the crossroads of Strelnieku and Alberta streets. HOFT apartments overlook the Art Nouveau Museum, the Stockholm School of Economics and the perspective of Alberta Street, where each house not only has a unique facade, but also holds many stories of the city, its famous residents and guests.

HOFT consists of two buildings – a reconstructed historic building with two additional floors, and a new seven-story building. The complex is located on a 2020 sq. m. landscaped area, there are 42 apartments in the complex with a total area of 6671.9 sq.m., ceiling heights range from 2.90 to 4.4 m in penthouses. There are a commercial premises with an area of 134.0 sq. m. located on the ground floor. Also, an underground car park is amongst the many advantages of this project.

And, of course, the most important and almost magical feature of HOFT are the 39 bonsai trees located on the terraces and facades of the buildings. Now that HOFT is fully completed, we see that it is not just a one-of-a-kind project of landscaped architecture. It forms a surprisingly delicate balance between urban lifestyle and preserving the sacred contact with nature, which is hard to even imagine in a dynamic modern capital.
All bonsai of HOFT are conifers: mountain pine, black dwarf pine, cedar. They are specially selected for the weather conditions of Riga, have already passed acclimatization and have little growth potential. The design solution, which allowed the integration of bonsai into the architecture of the building, was applied for the first time in the Baltics. Trees literally hanging in the air on the facade, terraces and in the courtyard of the house create a unique HOFT atmosphere and a sense of a different course of time.

Zane Tetere-Sulca, OPEN AD, project architect:
I remember that Riga was once a truly “green” city. HOFT’s main contribution to the overall appearance of the capital are the trees that rise vertically above the city, replenishing what has been lost over time. It is something truly unprecedented in this area. When you enter the courtyard, you are captivated by an absolutely meditative and sacred sensation that contrasts with the daily bustle.
Nevertheless, the modern glass structure above the historical building perfectly highlights the contrasts of the centuries, without which the modern city cannot exist.

Alexey Zagrebelniy, Chairman of the Board of development company R.EVOLUTION:
I think that when HOFT was commissioned, a house unique even on a global scale was put into operation in Riga. And with such a set of qualities – A level location, quality, concept, management, underground parking – it is the only property of its kind in Riga today. It is a true trophy property, it is timeless, it is beyond the market, built for those who value the best without any compromises. HOFT not only acts, but also interacts with its inhabitants using the energy created by the pine trees and the air filled with the aroma of their needles. It creates an amazing healing and relaxing effect. I personally felt it when visiting HOFT a few times a week. I come here to think. The answers I get here are non-standard and correct. It must be the 39 eco-antennas!

16 million euros were invested in the construction of the project, of which 4.9 million were financed by Citadele bank.

Construction of HOFT project was commenced in December 2018 in cooperation with SIA VELVE.
“HOFT, or the Flying Trees Project, has been very interesting from a technical perspective and full of challenges, as simultaneously with reconstruction of the existing building and reinforcing the frame of the building above the renovated façade, two additional glass floors were built on top. Also, special boxes for placing the bonsai trees were constructed with a fully automated irrigation and nutrition system making sure the trees have all they need. In this project, where historical architecture is combined with modern solutions, exclusive finish materials and elements of nature, we as builders can be very proud of what we have done because there is no other building like it in Riga or in the whole of Baltics,” says the Chairman of the Board of construction company SIA “Velve” – Kaspars Rokens.