The greenery of the former car park, with the famous replanted bus station oak tree at its centre, serves as a peaceful stop for people in the hustle and bustle of the market and the bus station's outdoor space. The search for a sense of place and image has taken us back to the old days when the Daugava riverbank at the mouth of the Rīdzenes river, outside the Charles Gate of ancient Riga, was bustling with activity. Not everyone was allowed to enter the city, so life outside the gates can only be imagined. Here, visitors and the goods they brought flooded in, both by road and by river. Until the middle of the 19th century, it was here that the lumber - mast timber, logs - came, was sorted, counted, measured and stacked for drying. This gave rise to the name of the neighbourhood Lastādija ('Last' is German for 'load'), and has directly influenced the design and materiality of today's square. This imaginative vision of a meeting place and bustle serves as the conceptual basis for the spatial development and landscaping with a functionally necessary pedestrian and cycle ramp as an evocative giant bonfire on the riverbank. The outdoor furniture, flooring and environmental object, which is also a children's play attraction, also refer to historical events and the nature of the market.
