Words by Francesca Perry Latvian architecture practice Substance has completed the Dzirciema Pharmacy, a new project in western Riga. The 170 sq m, two-storey freestanding building sits in a green square next to a crossroads, opposite the University of Latvia Botanical Garden. With a facade that articulates its function, Substance refers to the building as ‘conceptually assertive’. The hexadecagonal structure is clad in glass and dark composite metal sheeting, over which lies an external aluminium frame defined by a repeated cross-shaped module symbolising the traditional pharmacy sign. These cross shapes – sometimes filled with perforated metal panelling, sometimes empty – project in rhythms contrasting with the building envelope to create a dynamic jagged facade.