If this does not happen, the ministry must move out of the building, the minister said. The building is currently in quite a bad condition, because when it rains, water enters the building, and when the wind blows, the building is cold.
The minister expressed that he has discussed this issue with the prime minister and will prepare an informative report.
“I promise that during my ministry we will make a decision on how to proceed. The solution will be in several years, when the budget allows,” Krause said.
He also believes that the new ZM building should be built from wood, because there are many forests in Latvia, and wood is an easily available and ecological material. Also, building buildings from wood corresponds to the vision of the ministry.
“At the moment, wooden construction is unreasonably underestimated in Latvia. I have also discussed this issue with the Speaker of the Saeima and the Ministry of Economy, that it would only be right if in Latvia we built more from wood and the state and local authorities set an example,” said the minister, emphasizing that it would be it would be right if state administration and municipal buildings were built from wood.
It has already been reported that according to the data collected by SIA “Zemkopības minstrijas nekustamie ipšumi”, during the July storm and rains, the northern side of the ZM building from the 23rd to the third floor was flooded, including the ZM premises on several floors, causing water and moisture damage in 59 offices.
The representatives of the ministry explained that the reason for the flooding of the building was the waterproofing of the building’s facade, which was unable to ensure efficient drainage of water in the strong wind and rain. The damage caused also raised the issue of repairing the facade of the outdated building.