14. Šiauliai arena

About

The Šiauliai Arena’s laconic, cylindrical architecture enriches the cultural life of the city and opens the door to a variety of sporting events. The building contains rarely seen, exceptional architectural solutions that intertwine American and Lithuanian experiences of its designers.

The Šiauliai Arena is the first American-style, multi-purpose arena to be built in Lithuania, and at that time there were only a few of them in Europe. The experience of Algimantas Bublys that he gained in America, the creativity of local architects, and the task of the functional application, which was extended by the city politicians, ensured the emergence of a viable and high-quality architectural object in Šiauliai.

The uniqueness of the building is revealed with every ray of sunlight, each time giving a different appearance to the holographic glass façade. The interior of the arena is dominated by the aesthetics of natural and untreated materials: the flooring and structural elements are made of natural concrete; the toilets are separated from the lobby by profiled frosted glass walls; unpainted metal is used for the staircase fencing and ceiling. The architect Eugenijus Miliūnas’ insight that “Šiauliai Arena, like a woman without make-up, is natural,” is an apt description of such aesthetic solutions.