ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND INTERPRETATION

The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia Annual International Conference February 3th, 2026 ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND INTERPRETATION TODAY The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia oversees 114 exhibition buildings (16th–19th centuries (20th century)), the Bonaventura Manor complex and museum territory covering an area of 87.5744 ha. The mission of the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia is to preserve the architecture, folk art, and intangible cultural heritage of the historical lands of Latvia. The museum was founded in 1924 and is the oldest, most extensive, scientifically planned exhibition collection, as well as the most significant center for the preservation of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in the field of vernacular-folk heritage in the Baltic region. Starting in 2025, the museum began the restoration and construction of the "Ķiermeļu" barn in the "Sēlijas sēta" section of the museum grounds. Starting in 2028, the museum envisions beginning planning and construction of a new museum collection and administration building complex on the museum grounds. In order to highlight issues related to the dialogue between historical and new buildings and the use of ecological materials today, in accordance with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) declaration on open-air museums and the "Regulations of the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia ", the museum continues its annual tradition of organizing a scientific conference. The 2026 conference is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of architectural heritage. This year the program consists of two parts, the first of which is devoted to contemporary perspectives on the preservation, conservation, and practical restoration methods of historical wooden architecture. The second part will introduce the audience to contemporary approaches to architectural planning in historical building situations in the context of sustainable construction. In this section, foreign and local experts will talk about user involvement in architectural planning processes and the phenomenon of user-developed co-housing in Europe, which helps to dispel prejudices about the use of ecological materials from a planning, construction, social, legal, and economic perspective. A live broadcast of the conference will be available on the museum's YOUTUBE account. ________________________________________ PROGRAM 9:30–10:00 Registration, coffee 10:00 Welcome address by Zanda Ķergalve, Director of the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia 10:10–12:45 Session I: PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES Visitors’ experience and accessibility challenges and solutions in exhibition buildings at the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum (Helsinki, Finland) Mikko Teräsvirta, Head of Museum Services, Seurasaari Open-Air Museum (Finland) Sēlija farmstead: challenges and solutions in wooden architecture restoration Artūrs Lapiņš, Dr.art., Architect, Architectural Research Group Ltd (Latvia) Restoration methods, trends, and challenges in preserving the exhibition buildings of the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum: restoration works in 2025 Mārtiņš Kuplais, Dr.hist., Historian, Ethnography Department, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia Ieva Jekševica, Head of the Restoration Department, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia Moderator: Oskars Redbergs, Dr.-Ing., Architect 12:45–13:45 Break 13:45–16:00 Session II: INTERPRETATION OF CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES Moderating the principle of social and spatial solidarity in architecture Daniel Urey, Founder of LABLAB, Project Manager at Färgfabriken – Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning, Stockholm, Sweden Interpreting historical architectural heritage today: the co-housing movement in Germany – history and current trends Dagmar Jäger, Prof. Dr.-Ing., Architect, Professor at IU International University, Berlin, Germany The experience of the homeowners’ association “Saldus 3 draugi” Maksims Šenteļevs, Mg.arch., Architect Ieva Orbidāne, Architect Sustainability pathways: towards flexible, user-developed and self-build housing architecture. An intra- and interstructuralist approach (Berlin) Oskars Redbergs, Dr.-Ing., Architect, Deputy Director for Development Affairs, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia Debate Moderator: Oskars Redbergs, Dr.-Ing., Architect Daniel Urey, Project Manager