Elena Nijolė Bučiūtė, collection code VAM-5
Eminent Lithuanian architect, educator, was born in Kaunas on 16 February 1930 (she died in Vilnius on 12March 2010.).
In 1947 she graduated from the girls’ gymnasium in Rokiškis. In 1947-1953, studied at the Lithuanian Institute of Arts, where graduated with honours. In 1968, candidate of architecture sciences. [1]
She started her professional career at the urban construction design institute, where she worked as an architect in 1953-1975, and later – in 1953-1958 – as a senior architect; from 1958 to 1975 she was a group leader, and from 1971 to 1975 she was chief project architect of the institute. One of her loveliest works was the first but unrealized project – rescue station in Vilnius by the Neris. Later she developed more projects (and residential houses too), but they got the same fate as the rescue station.
Fateful turn in her creative work was the end of the seventies, when E. N. Bučiūtė had to simultaneously design and supervise up to three large-scale public – commercial objects during the construction period: furniture store – pavilion, design institute of Land Management and the Opera and Ballet House. They revealed the author’s ability to think rationally (the internal structure of the building is clear, they are really functional), but she also managed to create the architecture evoking emotions. Such are the Opera and Ballet Theatre house, still fascinating with author’s ability to create a seamless really artistic object, which harmoniously combines artistic architecture, monumental art and design solutions. This building designed to be a closed is thereby socially open: halls and lobby are glazed, allowing the audience to look round a wide panorama at easy. In turn, E. N. Bučiūtė’s works are contextual, which is well illustrated by the building of the Defence Staff of the Ministry of National Defence built in 1998, where its division into smaller volumes allowed the complex to integrate compatibly in the most valuable part of Vilnius – the old town. Since 1994 she became the head of an individual E. N. Bučiūtė creative studio. She designed about 50 buildings, mostly in Vilnius.
In 1976, the architect began to teach at Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute (since 1991- VGTU); a docent (1982); since 1989 – a professor. She steadily improved study programmes, raising the quality of studies, fostered creativity of students and graduate students. More than one generation of students educated by N. E. Bučiūtė loved and respected her. Former students remember both great strictness and the desire to encourage individual expression as well as diligence. Colleagues valued her as a unique phenomenon in the context of entire Lithuanian architecture as a special person and the only architect having Professor and PhD degree who was engaged in designing.
Projects:
1960 Rescue station by the Nėris, Vilnius (const. R. Pranaitis)
1962-1964 Residential houses in A. Mickevičiaus and K. Donelaičio str., Vilnius (co-author)
1963 Residential catchment, Ukmergė
1964 Residential area, Rokiškis
1967 Land Management Design Institute, Vilnius (const. I. Doktorskytė)
1968 Furniture shop-pavilion in Mindaugo str. (const. A. Rožinskienė, M. Aronsonas)
1971 Comprehensive school in Naugarduko str., Vilnius
1972 Vilnius District Executive Committee building (co-author)
1973 State Planning Committee building (now the Ministry of Economy) (constr. I. Doktorskytė, L. Grišina)
1974 Opera and Ballet Theatre house, Vilnius (constr. I. Doktorskytė, C. Strimaitis)
1982 Single-family six-bedroom house with a greenhouse and garage
1988 Public utility service building, Naujoji Vilnia (constr. A. Gavelis)
1997 Lithuanian Technical Information Centre building, Vilnius; later – the building of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania (constr. A. Gavelis)
1998 Defence Staff building of the Ministry of National Defence in Vilnius
1999 Reconstruction-adaptation of campus shop and canteen building in Saulėtekio av. (architect B. Krūminis) to VGTU library
2000 Reconstruction of furniture shop-shopping centre “Maxima”
Developed layout projects for Ukmergė (1963), Rokiškio (1964) residential areas, collective farm settlements. [2] [3]
Competitions:
Sports Palace in Vilnius, II place (co-author)
Vilnius Opera and Ballet Theatre, I place (co-author)
VTU central chambers, III place
Monument to those who died on January 13th 1991, encouraging prize (co-author)
Monument in Rokiškis, I place (co-author)
Awards:
LSSR honoured architect
LSSR state prize
LSSR people’s architect
Order of the Knights of Architecture
References:
1) Edita Riaubienė. Elena Nijolė Bučiūtė./ Archiforma, 1999(4), 42-48 p.
2) Zigmantas Liandzbergis. Elena Nijolė Bučiūtė. Lithuanian Soviet Encyclopedia, V. 1 (A-Grūdas). – Vilnius: General publishing house of encyclopaedias, 1985. – 292 p.
3) Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, V. III (Beketeriai-Chakasai). – Vilnius: Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Institute, 2003. – 552 p.
