Tērbatas Dārzs
Bringing Tērbatas Dārzs to Life Through Motion
Real estate websites often face a specific challenge: they have to sell a feeling while taking care of ticking boxes on a checklist. Location. Specs. Energy class. Finishings. Floor plans. Comparisons. Downloads. Maps. The works.
For Estera’s Tērbatas Dārzs, the goal was to make that heavy information load feel less like a manual and more like a guided tour that invites visitors to explore and click around.
But this project also carries a different kind of weight. Tērbatas Dārzs is being built on the site where Rīgas Sporta Pils once stood - a landmark with real history behind it. That meant the digital experience couldn’t just reflect business goals and buyer needs - it also had to treat the story of the place with a bit of respect.
One important note up front: DigiComm’s scope on this project was visual design, layout design and motion design. The backend logic was implemented by a different contractor / internally.
The Challenge
The homepage message is simple: “In the center of everything.” But the product behind it isn’t simple at all. The site needs to communicate a whole city quarter - what it is, why it matters and how it fits into daily life. At the same time, giving the visitor the tools to make real comparisons when they start thinking seriously.
So the challenge became:
- How do you keep a premium, “architectural” feel without turning the page into a museum?
- How do you present a lot of information without it feeling like a wall of specs?
- How do you guide visitors like a tour while still letting them explore freely?
The answer wasn’t “add more.” It was to sequence the experience using motion, layering and toggles to turn complexity into something that’s easy to explore.
The Creative Approach
From the very first interaction, the site is designed to feel like an experience.
Motion isn’t decorative here - it establishes rhythm and hierarchy. For example - when first loading the page, the first elements that appear are the tagline and a half-hidden image of the building. As the image slides and transforms into a video preview, the rest of the UI elements fade in and take position. This pacing encourages the user to start scrolling and learning about the project, rather than thinking “ok, where do I click now”.
The main page is structured as a logical progression for someone trying to get familiar with the product.
It starts by establishing context - what the project is and what kind of city quarter it aims to become - before moving into its current state and future development. From there, the focus shifts outward: where the quarter sits in the city, what everyday benefits the location offers and how those surroundings translate into daily life. Only once that broader picture is established, does the focus shift back to the living spaces themselves, with interior options and finishings. Finally, it’s time to acknowledge the site’s history and architectural thinking, before settling into supporting elements like additional photos and a contact form.
The result is a flow that mirrors how people naturally form understanding
From overview, to context, to detail, and finally, to action. At the same time, animations and other UI/UX elements help carry the story.
A pinned text moment keeps a single sentence in focus while images and short location highlights move past it, turning a list of benefits into a guided route through the neighborhood. Interior finishings are explored through simple toggles that let visitors move between rooms and design options without breaking flow - like flipping through a catalog, but more convenient. Subtle details like images revealing themselves or slightly zooming into place on first view help the site feel less static. These touches don’t ask for much attention, but they reinforce the idea of the quarter as something active and evolving.
“Apartments” Page
The apartments area shifts the site from “story” to “tool”. And instead of forcing users into one way of browsing, it supports different decision styles:
- Building view toggles (street vs courtyard view)
- Floor selection that highlights levels directly on the building visual
- Plan exploration where users can select individual units
- A list view option for people who want structured comparison thinking
- An adaptive default view: first-time visitors are shown the visual browsing mode, while returning users are taken straight to the list view for faster comparison
- Shortlist functionality so selected apartments can be viewed side-by-side
The result is a browsing flow that adapts to the user: visual when you want context, detailed when you need to compare.
Outcome & key takeaways
The site experience balances “cinematic” and “practical” - which is exactly what a modern real estate project needs. DigiComm delivered a cohesive visual and motion system that supports two jobs at once: telling the story of Tērbatas Dārzs and organizing heavy information into clear, explorable UI patterns.
- Motion is structure. When used well, it doesn’t decorate - it sequences information.
- Premium comes from pacing. Instead of adding more elements, letting the right ones have room to breathe.
- Exploration needs guardrails. Toggles, pinned moments and layered content let users roam without getting lost.
- Utility pages still need design. Floor plans and comparisons aren’t “secondary” -they’re where key life decisions can happen.
Real estate websites don’t just need to look good. They need to guide, clarify and still leave room for that “I can picture myself here” feeling.
If you’re building a site that has to carry both story and specs - and you want it to feel like a tour instead of a spreadsheet - DigiComm can help you design an experience that does both. Let’s talk.