Wind Town (Vėjo Miestelis)

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Wind Town transforms Lithuania’s wind-sports capital into a year-round coastal destination where wind, water, nature, culture, and community come together.

Location

Svencelė, Lithuania

Client

SBA Urban

Expertise

Mixed Use & Retail Centers [FPO] Architecture Hospitality Residential

Opportunity

Where wind meets water, Wind Town offers an opportunity to transform Svencelė’s coastal landscape and surf culture into a distinctive year-round destination.

SBA Urban envisioned the first Wind Town in Svencelė, Lithuania’s wind-sports capital, as a new destination capable of putting the region on the tourism map. Located within a protected coastal bay, the development needed to balance recreation, hospitality, and community with the surrounding landscape and local character. Rather than creating a conventional resort, Gensler shaped a diverse, predominantly car-free town rooted in wind, water, Lithuanian culture, and nature. The design also needed to remain active throughout the year, extending the destination beyond its peak wind-sports season.

Why This Matters

01
Putting Svencelė on the Map
Wind Town transforms Svencelė’s wind-sports identity into a broader destination, creating new opportunities for tourism, recreation, hospitality, and community.
02
Rooted in Place
The plan responds to Svencelė’s coastal landscape, using nature, water, and open-air experiences to shape a destination unique to its setting.
03
Creating Year-Round Energy
Beyond wind sports and diverse activities, the social spaces, hospitality, and winter programming keep the destination lively and welcoming throughout the year.

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Solution

Gensler created a playful coastal village where tiny houses, hotels, retail, coworking, marina life, and wind sports are woven into a car-free landscape.

The masterplan brings together 250 individual tiny houses, two hotels, a commercial village, restaurants, retail, coworking, kite-surfing schools, and a marina. Instead of a uniform resort aesthetic, varied architectural expressions draw from Lithuanian vernacular traditions, colours, materials, and patterns to create the feeling of a town that evolved organically over time. Green spaces weave between clusters of houses, while a central park, marina promenade, and smaller gathering areas create opportunities for social connection. Active recreation extends beyond wind sports through BMX, paddleboarding, skating, and other experiences for different ages and abilities.

How wind, water, Lithuanian culture, user journeys, and outdoor recreation shaped a coastal destination rooted in place.

Gensler began with Svencelė’s defining qualities: wind, water, landscape, nature, culture, and community. The team studied the site’s coastal context, Lithuanian traditions, and a range of user profiles, from families and residents to surfers, co-workers, and marina visitors. These insights shaped a layered masterplan where energetic recreation, hospitality, coworking, retail, and quieter residential moments coexist. Architecture, landscape, and public space work together to create a destination that feels established, locally rooted, playful, and welcoming rather than newly imposed.

Connecting Diverse Communities

Distinct residential, recreational, marina, and commercial districts are linked through landscape, movement, and shared public spaces.

Impact

Wind Town creates a locally rooted coastal destination where hospitality, recreation, nature, culture, and community come together across all seasons.

The development is designed to broaden Svencelė’s appeal beyond wind sports, creating a lively destination for families, friends, residents, and visitors year-round.

What Changed Because of This

01
New Tourism Destination
Wind Town expands Svencelė’s identity as a wind-sports destination into a broader tourism experience combining accommodation, hospitality, recreation, and community.
02
Local Identity
Wind Town celebrates Svencelė’s coastal setting and Lithuanian traditions, creating a destination that feels specific to its place and community.
03
Year-Round Experience
A diverse recreation program and adaptable spaces allow Wind Town to remain active throughout the year, expanding its summer wind-sports season into winter activities as well.

Wind Town sets a new benchmark for Baltic placemaking, combining sustainable design, walkable neighbourhoods and year-round amenities while celebrating the region's unique coastal landscape.

Recognition

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Team

Project Leadership

Lukasz Platkowski

As Managing Director of Gensler Germany, Lukasz provides leadership and strategic direction for the growth of the firm's business across Germany and Central Europe. He has led multidisciplinary projects for a range of clients, with a focus on resilience, enhancing human experiences, and creating long-term value.

[FPO] Patrick Berning

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[FPO] Glenn Wilson

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[FPO] Alex Couture

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FAQ

01

Where is Wind Town located?

Wind Town is located in Svencelė, Lithuania, a coastal destination known as the country’s wind-sports capital.

02

What is Wind Town?

Wind Town is a mixed-use coastal destination combining tiny houses, hotels, restaurants, retail, coworking, wind-sports facilities, a marina, and extensive green space.

03

How does Wind Town support the local community?

The predominantly car-free development includes parks, social spaces, markets, outdoor bars, pop-up cinemas, performances, and recreational amenities designed to encourage interaction and neighbourliness.

04

What makes the architecture stand out?

Rather than using a repetitive resort aesthetic, Wind Town draws from Lithuanian vernacular architecture, folk traditions, colours, and materials to create a locally rooted identity.

05

How does Wind Town support year-round use?

The destination combines wind sports with BMX, paddleboarding, skating, social spaces, hospitality, and activities that can adapt to winter conditions.

06

When will Wind Town be completed?

The project is currently under construction and is expected to be finalized in 2029.

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Related Expertise

Mixed Use & Retail Centers Architecture Hospitality Residential

Wind Town transforms Lithuania’s wind-sports capital into a year-round coastal destination where wind, water, nature, culture, and community come together.

Where wind meets water, Wind Town offers an opportunity to transform Svencelė’s coastal landscape and surf culture into a distinctive year-round destination.

Why This Matters

Gensler created a playful coastal village where tiny houses, hotels, retail, coworking, marina life, and wind sports are woven into a car-free landscape.

How wind, water, Lithuanian culture, user journeys, and outdoor recreation shaped a coastal destination rooted in place.

Wind Town creates a locally rooted coastal destination where hospitality, recreation, nature, culture, and community come together across all seasons.

What Changed Because of This

Recognition

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