Intro

Text: Ștefan Ghenciulescu, Cătălina Frâncu

The title may sound rather ambitious for a magazine issue: a comprehensive overview of a country’s architecture usually calls for a book; an annual, a catalogue, or something of the sort.

What do an (apparently) interwar modernist apartment block, a semi-rural house with a flower garden, both in Bucharest, and the opulent official residence in Suceava designed by the famous architect couple Nicolae and Maria Porumbescu have in common? They all defy the logic of totalitarian-era housing – serial, uniform, mass-produced.

I don’t know many contemporary artists in Romania as connected to architecture and the city as sculptor Virgil Scripcariu. His works can be found in public spaces in Bucharest and Timișoara, and he collaborates closely with architects, including on the Museum at Piscu, a project developed by him and Adriana Scripcariu.

Graphic Front invites you to submit your entries for ROAR POWER POSTER @ Bucharest Graphic Days 2024. The theme of this edition is: POWER

Some time ago, the architect was rather the master craftsman, the one who coordinated the project. Today, craftsmen have largely disappeared. This project is largely the result of architects’ deep sense of respect for the old house, but also for the exceptional craftsmen with whom they worked.

We at Zeppelin are very interested in the Czech Republic. This interest is not just about architecture but also comes from a long-standing fascination and sympathy. In 2007, we published a special issue dedicated to the Czech Republic, edited by Osamu Okamura (then editor-in-chief of the architecture magazine Era 21) and our colleague Mihai Duțescu. Many things have happened since then, and we somehow didn’t manage to publish many separate projects over these years. It was clear we needed a second episode. Here it is, also in partnership with the Czech Center Bucharest and with Osamu Okamura as co-editor.

Text: Osamu Okamura
Photo (up): KWK.Promes: PLATO Contemporary Art Gallery, Ostrava ©Juliusz Sokołowski

Edito + Intro (I): New Architecture and Urban Regeneration in Czechia

Text: Ștefan Ghenciulescu

The Czech Republic is one of those fortunate countries where the quality of architecture and public space seems inversely proportional to the size of its territory and population.

Interview: Ștefan Ghenciulescu
Photography in the factories: Marius Vasile

Introduction. Three discussions about design, industry, and strategies

The house in Mogoșoaia lies is in an average-density, mainly residential area, with low-rise individual houses. The rectangular plot, its short sides to the north and south, is situated between the Mogoșoaia forest and lake, neighbouring the sports complex of the same name.

A Jewish family in ’30s Prague. A great architect. A historical tragedy. Then another one. An adventure-book discovery. A retrieval and a rebuilding with one’s own hands. Today, a living house.

The biggest architectural event of the year in South-East Europe is coming up.