Designed in collaboration with Arup, this competition entry responds to an ambitious brief for a 21st-century symbol of independent Lithuania.

The concept — a compact white rectangular colonnade enclosing an inner volume reminiscent of a glowing piece of amber above a reflecting pool — draws on the metaphor of a hilltop temple. The light-filled array of tall, slender columns may also evoke the pine forests characteristic of the Baltic region.

The building gradually reveals itself as visitors ascend the hill, offering shifting perspectives from every approach.