Articles published by: Nickname

Text: Cosmin Caciuc

I do not know whether it is good to venture so much as to say that the best architecture and city planning books have not been written by architects or city planners. I am not sure whether the best pamphlet that has been written (so for) on the concept of smart city is not Against the Smart City, by a non-architect like Adam Greenfield.

19 Editor’s: Towards smart, non-antagonistic, inclusivist and reflexive cities
Text: Cosmin Caciuc

20 DOSSIER: Contemporary Norwegian Architecture II
> 4 works relating to social aspects and small scale interventions: TYIN tegnestue Architects, Haugen / Zohar Arkitekter, Brendeland & Kristoffersen arkitekter & studenți de la NTNU, Atelier Oslo

• 22 TYIN tegnestue Architects: Roof Near the Forest of Cinnamon: Cassia Coop Training Centre

• 28 Haugen / Zohar Arkitekter: Wooden Hammocks

• 30 Brendeland & Kristoffersen arkitekter & students from the NTNU: Gigaphone

• 32 Atelier Oslo: Common Ground

34 Urban Reinforcement – Amzei Agri-food Market
>  Completion of the winning project at the competition organized 7 years ago by the City Hall of 1st District, Bucharest

42 Brénac & Gonzalez: A Landmark in the Periphery  
>  Technical high school near Paris

48 Planwerk: Opening-up a Piece of the City  
>  Refurbishing the public space in front of a former tractor plant portal-building in Brasov. Through the Coresi-Portal project, a portion of a private ground (the free space in a rehabilitated section of a former tractor plant), is given to public use and furbished as a pedestrian place for the inhabitants of Brasov

52 The Small and Generous Loft
>  Design for an apartment in Bucharest
Text: Andrei Mărgulescu

58 Corvin Cristian: Holodeck: Dutch Kitchen
>  New cafeteria at ING headquarter office from a Bucharest high-rise
Text: Ștefan Ghenciulescu

61 Urban Report
62 DOSIER: studioBASAR
> An apartment building that depends on the context and two small projects, ephemeral but highly motivated by social aspects

• 62 Intro / Text: Cosmin Caciuc
• 63 3 Questions on Tactics and Strategy at studioBASAR
  64 A Block with 6 Courtyards

• 68 Km. 0 – Model of Things and Facts

        70 The Toolbox

73 Design & More
Five Norwegians in Bucharest: Conference at Zeppelin Evenings # 51 and Urban Culture Platform
> Jensen & Skodvin, 3RW, Atelier Oslo, Evy Sorensen/USF Bergen, Kaja Tvedten Jorem/Oslo Triennale, Raluca Velisar/ MNAC București & Arpad Zachi/revista Arhitext
Text: Cosmin Caciuc

76 Vlad Tenu: Synthetic Natures and  Minimal Complexities
> Generative design, old-style drawing vs. programming theories
Text: Ioana Calen

79 Connected
80 Urban Adventures on the Smartphone
> An application that uses
Google Maps, an open source project and a kind of urban game
Text: Andreea Vrabie

82 Agenţia de Arhitectură și Design ADA: The Creativity Machine
> The Research Institute in Brașov relies not on spectac¬ular forms, but on efficiency, human scale and favoring the contact between extremely different users.
Text: Ștefan Ghenciulescu

90 Urban Farming: Resource, Ideology, Activism
Text: Cosmin Caciuc

Text: Stefan Ghenciulescu

Recent public architecture operations in Romania make me mad. For example, the project for the protection of the Roman ruins in the historic city of Alba Iulia is a revolting shack, with the roof shaped as an open book. It’s tenth rate architecture, but obviously living up to the expectations of the City Hall. This project stands out by its ridiculousness, but it actually expresses a process which is ongoing, despite the crisis: grand public operations made without a competition, without public consultation, without even a debate about the program or the relationship with the city; good intentions, I am sure, but a lot of missed opportunities.

15 Editor’s: Grand public projects and a smaller but better one
Text: Ștefan Ghenciulescu

16 DOSSIER: Contemporary Norwegian Architecture I
> 3 works relating to housing and sensitivity towards natural or urban sites
    16 Intro
    Text: Cosmin Caciuc

• 17  Jensen & Skodvin Architects: Boxes between Birches: Juvet Landscape Hotel

• 22  3RW Arkitekter: Accommodation for 1000 Students and Urban Dialogue: SIB Grønneviksøren

• 28  Jarmund Vigsnæs Arkitekter: Summer House as a Traditional Rural Household

32 Hoffmann-Janz  ZT GmbH + Baumarc: ProiectSkyTower
> This is not just the tallest building in Bucharest, but also also an example of intensive development that frees space for the city. The recent urban ensemble north o of the center has a remarkable urban potential.

38 Mânădelucru: The House on Two Streets
>  Block of flats placed in the center of Bucharest, in the historical urban fabric

44 DE3 grup: Regained Topography and Over-detailing
>  Winning house at the first edition of the Biennale of Architecture in Transylvania in 2013 in the Residential Architecture Section
Text: Cosmin Caciuc

48 DOSAR: TDB Arquitectura –2 Houses
>  Technology being used in an intelligent and poetic way, and, most importantly, very discreetly in architecture. It is not the spectacular image, but the context, the needs of the dwelling and the constructive system (sometimes specifially invented for a project) which determine the architecture.

• 48 House Calls. La Garriga. Barcelona

Text: Juan Trias de Bes & TDB-Arquitectura

• 54 A Barn Converted into a Dwelling

Text: Juan Trias de Bes & TDB-Arquitectura

58 blipsz! Bungalows, Odorheiu Secuiesc
>  Expanding the accommodation capacity of an existing hostel with independent pavilions

60 Constantin Șelariu – ACS STUDIO: Rethinking and recovering. Arranging an old apartment in Timișoara

64 Europan 12: 2 Winning Projects from Romania
> Cristian Panaite, Mircea Munteanu: Le Parc des Falaises, Marly
> Alexandru Cozma, Oana Simionescu, Roxana Pătrulescu, Bianca Ruxanda, Andra Jugănaru, Zsolt Gondos: Kristinehamn, Suedia. The Centre. The Path. The Field of Action

69 Urban Report

• 70 ValDecor: Mignon –Versatile Theater Focusing on the Message

>  An independent cultural investment in a historical building in Bucharest
Text: Florentina Ciocanea,  Alia Bakutayan

73  Nicolae Milășan, Nagy András, Klaus Birthler: The Road from Volunteering to an Urban Project. Landscaping on Canalul Morii (Mill Canal), Reghin
> This is a perfect example of social architecture, of how to build projects and go from word to action for transforming of river Mureș in a public space axis.

76 A-KAMP47: Vertical Camping. Resistance through Social Architecture
Text: Andreea Vrabie

 
79 Design & More

• 80 Atelier Fabrik: Booknote & Bumbata

> Old books recycled into very cool-looking agendas and an unconvention album

85 Connected

• 86 Arhimar: Liberty Technology Park.

> The most important and real operation of industrial conversion in Romania
Text: Constantin Goagea

94 Use at Your Own Risk
> Interactive Art Exhibition at Victoria Art Center

96  Studio Roosegaarde: Innovative Crystals of Light
> Interactive light artwork and Van Gogh Bicycle Path in the Netherlands    

16 oct – 19 nov @ Casa Mincu / 17 oct.  – BCU Carol I

This project is talking about Cinderellas: can be significant, beautiful buildings, left in a bad shape, or buildings with little or no significance, partly destroyed constructions, abandoned and forgotten, materials cast aside or fragments of long gone houses. The ‘fairy godmothers’ are the owners, the urban explorers, architects and designers, various artists , dedicated communities, business partners or people from the local administration – they discover their potential and toil with them; the metamorphoses deliver some of the most intelligent, responsible and poetic projects of late.

A debate about the creation of cultural hubs in Bergen, Oslo and Bucharest – and the relation of architecture & design mix with culture.

Speakers:

• Evy Sorensen / USF Bergen
• Kaja Tvedten Jorem / Oslo Triennale
• Raluca Velisar / MNAC Bucharest
• Arpad Zachi / Arhitext magazine 

Moderated by Ștefan Ghenciulescu, Zeppelin Association

Conference: Tuesday, February 18, 2014, starting with 6 pm @ National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC), Bucharest, str. Izvor 2-4, Palace of the Parliament, wing E4, 1st floor, Bucharest (entrance through Calea 13 Septembrie)

Exhibition and connected events @ MNAC (National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest), January – March, 2014:

Text: Ștefan Ghenciulescu / Photo : Cătălin Georgescu

Research and illustrations: Ioana Lupașcu

The problem with Roșia Montana (the place in Transylvania, the controversial cyanide mining project and the fight against it) is not the focus of this article; instead, we will talk about the marches that have been held in Bucharest for the last three months. Apart from the subject itself, I believe these actions were seminal in terms of using and perceiving the city.

Text: Cosmin Caciuc
Photo: Atelier Fabrik

I was reading a funny story: “A game that began with paper planes has received financing worth half a million dollars”. The project in question is called Power Up 3.0, developed by Shai Goitein and the TobyRich company, and it was financed with great enthusiasm by means of the Kickstarter platform: a smartphone app that can control any paper plane from a distance with the help of a tiny electromechanical device.