New builds in Latvia still come without bomb-shelter basements

Last year, two low-rent housing blocks were put into operation in Valmiera, which has strong demand for new housing. Currently, both buildings are fully occupied and the new block is bustling every day. Yet these five-storey blocks do not have basements. So, in a time of crisis, residents need to think about another place to take refuge. Residents were not keen to talk about the topic, but admitted that they would not want to pay more in rent for the inclusion of a basement. Andris Kabraks, the project developer and chairman of the board of the company "Valmieras namsaimnieks", explained: "We deliberately didn't go for a basement construction there because we were participating in a programme called "Low-Rent Residential Homes." So we had to calculate every single euro so that we could qualify for that programme and so that we could cover our loan obligations with rental income." Kabraks did not hide that the next low-rent houses, the construction of which is planned to begin this year, will not have basements, either. They will be built according to the same design as the existing houses. However, so that people have a place to take refuge in a time of crisis, "Valmieras namsaimnieks" is considering the possibility of adapting the basements that have been built under older apartment buildings and other nearby buildings built in 2018, for the needs of a shelter. "It's not cheap either. We haven't done any market research or procurement, but I've heard from the Riga City Council that they are basing their calculations on the fact that such an adjustment could cost 500 euros per square meter," said Kabraks. Installing a shelter would increase costs significantly This summer, a newly built apartment building by a private developer will also be put into operation in Valmiera. This building also does not have a basement. Iveta Vucāne, financial director of the construction company "Aimasa", explained that the design of this building began in 2021, even before the invasion of Ukraine. "We obtained the design conditions in 2024. This is before the guidelines were even developed. Therefore, this building never had a basement as such in the plan, because when we were looking at whether we would build and what we would build, we, of course, looked at what the market was like, what the purchasing power was in Valmiera," explained Vucāne. She emphasized that it's not that builders don't want to ensure the safety of residents in times of crisis. The problem is that the state-developed building code currently dictates what the end result should be, not how to achieve it. Therefore, several specialists in the field are currently working to create a technical solution and calculations of how much installing shelters in apartment buildings could realistically cost. "We will try to understand how much it will actually cost to design additional shelters in existing projects, including all the conditions, and we will also look at how to achieve the end result that the building code requires of us," Vucāne said. Current estimates show that building a simple basement increases the cost of constructing a building by 10 to 15%, but if you want to install a more robust first or second category shelter, the costs can increase by as much as 25%. "Well, as you understand, whether you buy for 200,000 or 250,000 euros, it is a big difference on the shoulders of a private individual. The question here is how safe we ​​feel in our Latvia at the moment, whether a private individual as a resident is willing to pay 25% more," said Vucāne. Similar situation in Cēsis In another Vidzeme city, Cēsis, Latvian Radio viewed a basement, which was built under the four-storey building put into operation this year by the construction company "Siguldas būvmeistars". The basement is spacious, bright and dry, with storage rooms available for each apartment. A resident of the house, Katrīna Liene, appreciated this additional convenience, but has not really thought about what to do in a crisis situation. "It would actually be valuable, but I hadn't thought about it. But to be honest, I could survive there. It's comfortable, there's light, there's everything I need. I also have belongings," admitted Katrīna. Currently, no new project has been submitted to the Cēsis Construction Board, which includes a shelter. Vilnis Karslbergs, a civil protection specialist at the Cēsis municipality, pointed out significant shortcomings in the law. It stipulates that first or second-level shelters will have to be built in public buildings, for example, new schools or hospitals, as well as in apartment buildings that are higher than five floors, starting next year. But in Cēsis and elsewhere in Vidzeme, such tall buildings are not being built at all due to the landscape and other restrictions. "If we don't build higher than five stories, then there won't be any new shelters. We're not trying to jump on a departing train now, we're chasing it, and at this rate we probably won't catch it until the next two stations," Karlsbergs said. "maybe for the next five years they will still be building with old projects," said Karlsbergs. The State Fire and Rescue Service guidelines state that even a regular basement can be adapted as a Category III shelter. Karlsbergs explained that this is possible in most buildings in Vidzeme that already have concrete basements. "The third category determines some protection from shrapnel or a shock wave, but we probably won't be able to withstand rockets. So, for example, for those basements that have windows, they are blocked with sandbags and some kind of material, or left in a corner as ventilation or something. There are conserves, potatoes and everything else, and in the end, if anything, it is, so to speak, a safe shelter," explained Karlsbergs. Both Karlsbergs and the builders emphasized that the current guidelines do not even clearly define whether the basement of a private apartment building, which is labeled as a shelter, becomes a public shelter in a crisis and anyone on the street can take shelter there. There is no clear answer to this question yet. Andris Lazarevs, Director of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Economics (EM), explained that the state has deliberately designed the new requirements, which will come into force in 2027, as a rational compromise between safety and costs, based on the experience of Finland. "The regulation has already been adopted. Starting from January 1st of next year, all construction plans proposed after this date will require a shelter for all multi-apartment residential buildings higher than five floors. "I would like to emphasize right away that the building code itself only determines technical requirements. In turn, whether a shelter needs to be built in a specific construction project is regulated by the Civil Protection Regulation, which also determines in which cases these shelters must or must not be built," Lazarevs noted. He also emphasized that when building new projects, it is not mandatory to build a basement for the needs of a safe shelter, other solutions are also possible. However, in general, the state's current position is to identify and adapt existing objects for shelter needs. "The 'two-wall principle' can also be used, similar to Ukraine, which means that there must be two walls that provide protection. In the case of new facilities, this can be, let's say, a concreted central core of the building, where elevator shafts or built staircases are located. Therefore, no matter how many new buildings are built, the primary focus, as also indicated by colleagues from the State Fire and Rescue Service, is on adapting existing buildings. That is where the largest volume is. Even if, let's say, 30 new buildings are built, which will potentially contain these shelters, it is very small compared to the total required volume," said the Economics Ministry representative. Meanwhile, Cēsis Municipality Civil Protection Specialist Karlsbergs emphasized that in a crisis, safety is still up to each of us. Perhaps those households planning to choose a new home should ask the project developer themselves whether the house will have a place to take shelter in addition to how big the balcony will be or how well-equipped the kitchen is, he suggested.