Andrada Bulai architecture portfolio
Curriculum vitae
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City of Bucharest Philharmonic
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Zeppelin Contest - Bathroom as living space
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Church of happiness and gratitude
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Urban hotel
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Modern art center
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Collective housing
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CIAISIA competition
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1:1 scale model
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EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND 2015 currently studying at "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urbanism, Bucharest, Romania, 5th year 2014 Eindhoven University of Technology 6 months Erasmus exchange program EXTRACURRICULARY ACTIVITIES 2015
volunteer at ”Urban spaces in action” initiated by Komunitas Association – an interdisciplinary project, combining elements of urban planning, urban anthropology, architecture and education for young people
2014
attending architecture workshop School of Bunesti - directly exploring building in wood, soil and brick
2013
volunteer at Filmul de Piatra Film Festival one of the most important local cultural events of Piatra Neamt town
2012 volunteer at Rhabillage Associasion - associasion that promotes and protects the architectural patrimony of Romania 2011 attending Urban photography workshop with Vlad Eftenie AWARDS 2010 1st place National Contest of literature, drawing, photography “Le Francophone avant toute Chose” 2009 award at the International Creative Competition “A child and a dog” Poland 1st place national film contest “Familia mea internauta” organized for celebrating the European event “Safe internat day 2009” 2008 2nd place National Art Contest “Ion Irimescu” SKILLS hand drafting and modeling IT /Autodesk AutoCAD / Sketch Up / ArchiCAD / Adobe Photoshop / Adobe InDesign / Adobe Illustrator / Kerkythea LANGUAGES romanian nativ language english fluent french basic italian basic
City of Bucharest Philharmonic location: Bucharest type: school assignment, collective project year: 2015
The representation value Philharmonic is an architectural program that involves a relatively small public use, only during performances and events which take place in them. The building has a representative character for the city, and it’s generally a landmark known by inhabitants or visitors only from the outside, but whose interior remains foreign to the majority. Underlying this relationship between the city and the philharmonic, I wanted during the entire project to obtain an image in accordance with Bucharest. Also the ghostly history of the area is brought into discussion by an austere approach. Another aim of the project was to open the philharmonic towards the public by creating spaces for socialization and interaction. In this way the clichÊ established in the collective mind is changed. RIGHT : Conceptual representation that highlights the bond between the city and the philharmonic Collage technique
Memory of the place Bucharest in contemporaneity has an unusual beauty due to a strange history. The communist period is marked by the aggression against traditional urban tissue. Unwise demolitions for tracing the new avenues and buildings irreversible change the urban scale of the city leaving behind scars - areas where the relation between built and unbuilt doesn’t leave room for dialogue. In the post-revolutionary period we witness to a gradual degradation of the city.
Space gradually becomes an urban scar where homeless people find shelter.
Esplanda area was in the 1980s affected by extensive demolition operations in order to build Romanian Opera “Song of Romania�, which consisted in excavations and concrete pouring in foundations and side walls of the basements. The construction was not completed and for more than two decades and has become a derelict space where the capitalist city with postmodern demands throw their garbage. The 21st century finds urban landscape of the city (marked by massive communist residential buildings) in a desolate situation. Massive billboards reduce the monochrome perception of the landscape. BELOW : photography of the existing site
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Materplan In recent years the city of Bucharest has become the venue for large-scale cultural events not only for the European space, but also a meeting place for people of culture and communication, artists and musicians from all over the planet, therefore the construction of a place which meets all the needs is a must. Three main areas are required in this scenario: office and administration in west, business, commercial, office, living in east and culture in the center. Interpreting different analysis we labeled the site as
having no personality. The flatness of the surface, the lack of defining directions allowed us to have an atypical approach that highlights the urban island. This organic solution makes possible the occurrence of fluid spaces with specific craters an overview image. RIGHT : masterplan LEFT : suggesting an overview image
philharmonic palace of justice
office tower
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ABOVE : Outside perspective, eye level view
ABOVE : North elevation BELOW : South elevation
Secondary access to the educational center and backstage area
The green court favors a good lighting and humanizes spaces that are out of scale. It can become a retreat for both workers and visitors.
The integration of the spatial structure in a coherent architectural speech is obvious. Concrete walkways strain lattice pillars offering an industrial appearance.
The gallery was designed to provide a true sensorial experience.
The stage configurations makes possible a broad range of performances from arts productions to classical music concerts .
The Acoustical ceiling is heavy and rigid
Gracefully curved wood panels form the visible architectural ceiling.
Visibility study
RIGHT : Here and there, the main hall was hollowed, bringing light and vegetation to the interior space
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LEFT : The cold atmosphere given by the concrete is heated in some places with light color and wood details
RIGHT : The access between exhibition area and educational center is made through a concrete walkways that strain gracefully through the metal pillars.
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Zeppelin Contest Bathroom as living space location: Bucharest type: contest, group project year: 2014
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The proposal When a house is presented, day and night rooms are carefully described, and after this, like some poor relatives of them, so-called technical areas are quickly listed: kitchen, pantry and finally the bathroom. The Zeppelin contest challenges us to bring back the bathroom � in the house � – a space as pleasant as the rest of the house. The attic of an apartment in Bucharest is turned into a place of rest. Although located on a different level and somehow isolated by the rest of the house, it was not design as a bedroom with dressing room and bathroom, but rather as a series of places which work together to create a unitary space. The bathroom is not a room but a mechanism whose components are distributed to each part of the resting place. It structures the space without dominating it. LEFT : the association of sleeping area with bathing space
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Church of happiness and gratitude location: Hasselt, Belgium type: school assignment, individual project year: 2014
The importance of religion The modern man starts denying his spiritual side concentrating only on the pragmatic aspect of life. With the science understanding more and more about the world around us, does religion have a part to play in today’s modern society? As we feed our physical body we also need to feed our spiritual body. This food consists in feelings of happiness, gratitude, unconditional love, satisfactions, peace. Religions all over the world give us recipes of reaching this state of mind. The problem is mainly with conservatory religions, where practices don’t fit anymore with the way of thinking and the spirit of the new age. More and more people reject those practices but also cannot starve themselves. Nowadays religion is about being happy...is
about friendship, charging positive energy along with the members of your community and has nothing to do with power, cannons, fasting or misunderstood rituals. BELOW: Graphic representation that expresses the nature of the insertion and the character of the place. The street where the site is located is unique due to the overlapping of architectural layers in time. Although they seem so different due to the variety of colors, materials, details, the buildings compose unitary architectural ensembles.
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Functions 71m long) and neighborhoods. Throughout the design process I tried to balance the right house massiveness, which takes over the entire surface of the ground with the weak presence of the left house. So I flanked both neighboring walls with secondary functions that I mentioned above, the priest’s house and children’s school. Within these two volumes, an alley that goes 3m down, leads to a patio where you can have access to the church.
Nowadays, the sense of belonging to a community and a common belief is desirable among people around the world and “the churches of happiness and gratitude” have experienced a considerable growth in recent years. After a deep analysis of the phenomenon and after visiting many churches based on these new beliefs, I managed to compose a functional scheme. Both, the size and proportion of the site, determined the implementation of new functions, functions which have worked with the church since ancient times - the priest’s house and children’s school. From a more pragmatic perspective, the site is difficult due to its proportions (11m wide and
BELOW: functional diagram RIGHT: the distribution of functions on the site
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children's school
church
priest's house
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My intervention interrupts the building front of the street, becoming an atypical presence. I didn’t want to integrate the church in the context... on the contrary, I wanted to become a landmark of the area. The priest’s house is a narrow building cleaved on the neighboring wall. The internal organization around an atrium creates opportunities for visual contact. The light is captured in this atrium like in a kaleidoscope, giving life to this house. The terrace on the top gives an overview of the neighborhood. The interior courtyard becomes a well defined space for socialization that gives a spiritual comfort due to the vegetation. The need for a space designed for small children appeared particularly during the Sunday’s ceremony. During that time children can learn about the new faith in an environment suitable for their age. The internal organization is similar to the priest’s house. Three main spaces for three age groups (0-4 years, 4-7 years, 7-12 years) are organized around an zenith lighted atrium
RIGHT: eye level street view LEFT: bird's eye view 40
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ABOVE: section BELOW: 1st floor plan
Materiality The main concern was to create a common, friendly environment that can bring people together. Wood has proven to be the best choice because of the texture and its flexibility in construction. Wood works in accordance with nature and continuously inspires new directions in the design and construction of timber buildings. One of the many reasons why wood is still used today, despite huge strides in engineering excellence, is its durability weight and safety. Wood has flexibility which means it can slightly bend. Therefore, if the foundations shift slightly, the wooden home can flex and move with the change rather than crack. Aesthetically and environmentally, wood will remain one of the most important construction materials for a long time to come. In this construction, the walls are made from structural timber frame panels and are insulated with natural sheep wool and wood fiber boards which integrate a dual flow ventilation system with 88% heat recovery. LEFT: attic detail RIGHT: facade detail
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1. ventilated facade with vapor barrier, sheep wool and wood fiber insulation, pine structure, water impermeable and breathable membrane, larch veneer 2. heat treated pine, wood fiber insulation, waterproof membrane 3. low-E double-pane glass wall with argon gas infill, 58% solar gain control
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Designing the church The design of the church responds visually to the space, offering east and south lighting. In a few words the design of the church is a route that leads to the main ceremony space. The dramatic curve of the roof lets the light and vegetation penetrate. The church is more like a shelter that brings people together, avoiding monumentality. The construction is made from a series of trusses
that are anchored between the west wall and the level of the square. The green roof gives the impression that the church was born naturally by curling the ground in an exaggerated manner. ABOVE: digital model showing construction details BELOW: eye level view of the interior
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Urban hotel location: Buzesti Street, Bucharest type: school assignment, individual project year: 2013
Context The central character of the street is one of the critical factors that make the scenario of building a hotel plausible. The irregular shape of the site is a result of a dynamic, uncontrolled development during post-communist period. The site opens to the square, but in smaller proportions, passively participating to a dynamic atmosphere of Bucharest. The overall picture of the street is unitary, with modern buildings flanking both sides. The density and average height can reach high values.
The site area is characterized by a great typological diversity, but coherent, despite the variations of volumetric and architectural languages. The proposal aims to continue this unity in diversity, the specificity and fluency of the space. In the analysis phase I identified a front line of tall buildings that flanks both sides of the street. The main concern was to continue this front line and reorient it towards the main square. This architectural gesture facilitates a good orientation for the rooms, making the guests visually participate to the general atmosphere of Bucharest. The discontinuation in the opposite front line has a major impact in shaping the volume. The generated cutout represents a good opportunity to achieve a generous access device. The accommodation volume is slightly rotated, giving a generous reception space at a human scale. The wrong proportion of the site, which is a result of a dynamic and uncontrolled development, represents a challenge in terms of volume and function. The hotel is divided into two major volumes that are connected by a distorted glass element. The first volume hosts the main function, living area, while the second volume can operate independently accommodating the multifunctional hall, foyer and commercial spaces. LEFT / RIGHT : sketches with the volumetric proposal
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Right : atmosphere sketch Left : functional diagrams for ground floor and mezzanine 57
Nowadays traveler Nowadays traveler is looking increasingly for novelty. He is no longer satisfied by a sequence of identical rooms, flat facades or dark hallways. He looks for hotels where the owners and architects have created a story that the traveler can forward. The urban hotel from Buzesti Street invites guest into a world of avant-gard. The sequence of public spaces becomes a true sensorial experience thanks to a large spatial diversity. RIGHT: reception area view LEFT: view from the suspended bridge
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RIGHT: view towards entrance LEFT: eye level street view
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Modern art center location: Gradina Icoanei Park, Bucharest type: school assignment, individual project year: 2013
The proposal Gradina Icoanei park is a green spot in a mass of chaos. Although located in a central area, the space gives the feeling of an untouched nature - clearings, paths, gardens, shortcuts, places which are waiting to be discovered. It’s a confluence of spaces, it’s an intersection of limits The intervention revitalizes the space, while maintaining the character and memory of the place. I adopted an organic, flexible language, so that the architectural object will integrate and become a fluent part . The pavilion unfolds through the trees, maintaining an open space with unlimited options of discovering. The urban foyer offers exhibition spaces, library, study areas, souvenir shop. RIGHT: conceptual sketch
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a space that captures you due to the strange feeling of not knowing the limits...
sustainable landscape strategies no existing tree will be cut for building the modern art center materiality +glass fiber reinforced concrete tiles +energy-efficient glazing (low-e) +outdoor wooden deck the gallery a sequence of spaces with different characteristics due to light intensity and materiality regaining the space bringing an architecture of community, participation and transition gift shop main enrtance strategically located library, study area
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ABOVE: south facade LEFT: ground plan RIGHT: basement plan
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ABOVE: eye level view towards the entrance
Collective housing location: Mantuleasa Street, Bucharest type: school assignment, collective project year: 2012
The notion of living The notion of living is hotly debated, especially dense urban living, because of the significant change that it brought to the city’s structure throughout history. Housing in the city involves vertical overlap. This overlap has to combine the idea of single family housing with the concept of living in the city. Therefore the approach in designing collective housing involves both giving a response to the needs and research the implication that your insertion may have in the urban tissue. The second notion is especially important as the site is situated in a protected historical area. In a context with historical urban tissue that is valuable through a time evolution that shaped a distinctive character, our approach to this project is based on continuing the spirit of the place, keeping the atmosphere and urban image. Interpreting the architectural program, we wanted to keep the impression of large houses divided into two, tree, four families. We wanted a small community strongly connected through the way of living. The volumes that we proposed follow the scale of the place, completes the front of the street and also shape the outer space. They relate to each other and to the surroundings. RIGHT: photo taken during the design process
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ABOVE: concept animation BELOW: view of the proposal from different angles 76
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RIGHT atmosphere sketches LEFT : ground foor plan
RIGHT : 1st floor plan LEFT : atmosphere sketches
RIGHT: view from the main street LEFT: view from the inner courtyard
RIGHT: second floor plan west volume LEFT: cross section 84
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CIAISIA competition location: Schei neighborhood, Brasov type: contest, individual project year: 2012
"...when you're talking about building a house, you're talking about dreams." Robert A. M. Stern
Designing in a rural scenario By joining the two volumes I tried to capture a space which is privileged. Of course, in this rural scenario, it may be an interpretation of ‘in the front yard’ where different work activities were held. By capturing light and using glazing wall I managed to avoid the overwhelming feeling which can be induced in that kind of spaces. The massiveness of the first volume is counteracted with the height of the second one obtaining a balanced overview image. RIGHT: picture of the model LEFT : section BELOW: concept animation
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The family The house is inhabited by a young family with two children. I wanted to offer the children the possibility of living in a space that has a proper scale, where they don’t feel overwhelmed. A space that they can entitle as their own and a space that can stimulate their imagination and engage their sense of curiosity. The spatial composition is a reflection of the relations that are established in the family. Children have their one independent house inside the parent’s house. RIGHT: view from the living LEFT: view from the kitchen BELLOW:sketch of the spatial composition
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RIGHT: south facades LEFT: first floor plan
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RIGHT: section LEFT: west facades
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1:1 scale model type: school assignment, team project year: 2012
A visit to Schijndel One of the most difficult decisions we had to take at the beginning of the assignment was the choice of the building. The first criterion of selection was accessibility. We had to live the experience of visiting the building in order to fully understand it. We have to feel the materiality, spatiality. The visit of the site encourages a deeper knowledge of the building from a tectonic, technique perspective, rather than an abstract one. The visitors are invoked to think or contemplate how everthing works out. Searching the surroundings we discovered in Schijndel, a small town near Eindhoven, a building designed by one of the world’s top architecture bureaus MVRDV. With a visionary research, in the past 20 years, they provoked us to question ourselves what is life like in a blue house (in Didden Village, near Rotterdam), on an orange tribune (The Why Factory, situated within a courtyard at Delft University of Technology), in a vertical shopping street (the Gyre Shopping Center in Tokyo), in a housing silo (on the IJ waterfront in Amsterdam) or inside a mountain of books (the Book Mountain library in Spijkenisse). This was our chance to go deeper and discover more about our fascination.
In the town square of the city, a fine piece of modern architecture rises up. The smooth, glazed volume reflects the market and the church opposite. From distance it looks like a huge, completely transparent farm house. Seen up close, the farm turns out to be an image printed on glass. Shops, offices and cafes are housed by the glazed volume, and from time to time they pierce the printed layer for a better view of the market. It’s an object at once familiar and strange, that combines technology with the traditional image of a farm. “When adults interact with the building, they can experience toddler size again, possibly adding an element of nostalgic remembrance to their reception of the building” say the architects. RIGHT: Glass Farm, MVRDV source: http://disegnodaily.com/news/mvrdv- glass-farm-completed
We decided to visit Schijndel.
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Choice of our detail At our visit at the farm house we investigated where we can make a section for our model in order to get to know the principal of the building as a whole. The first thing we discovered is that the aesthetics of the building are mostly based on how the outside of the façade looks like. On the outside only glass and some strokes of kit are visible. The building grid is based on the panels of glass. The main structure is build out of closed steel profiles. This structure is lined out with the edges of the glass panels in order to show as much glass possible. The problem is where planes of glass make an angle. Especially at the roof, you can see that the plates of glass are principal and the structure is secondary. Because the building is built vice versa it is very important that the critical parts of the building are thought out really well. We chose this detail of the roof because it incorporates all the constructive principles of the building. Understanding this detail leads to understanding all the other sections of the facade. RIGHT: photo during construction source: http://www.bouwwereld.nl/project/ LEFT: quick sketch made on the site
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Steps of building the detail
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Construction from outside in: Outer glass plane, hardened 8mm cavitiy 15mm gasfilled, inturned silicon seal inner glass plane layered 8.8.2 with photorealistic print EPDM band 5mm Butyl coated foam Rubber seal Aluminium glassprofile (60mmX35mm) Steel squared tube 80mmX80mmX3mm
Construction from outside in: Outer glass plane, hardened 8mm cavitiy 15mm gasfilled, inturned silicon seal inner glass plane layered 8.8.2 with photorealistic print EPDM band 5mm Butyl coated foam Aluminium profile for fixing glass plane on, 2mm Steel drill screw Aluminium glassprofile (75mmX40mm) Steel squared tube 80mmX80mmX3mm
Building the model The steel profiles were made from MDF plates with different thickness. For a more real look the corners were sanded and welding was imitated using montage kit. Further, we laser cut sections of aluminium profiles and then we glued them making a compact window profile.
After some paint tests we found out that the grey obtained by mixing one unit of white and four units of black, is the closest colour of the real detail. Any mistakes were corrected using a mixture of glue and sawdust. A second layer of paint was added after all elements were assembled
Carefully all the elements were assembled and a second layer of paint was added
Getting the metal feel The shiny metal look has been imitated by springing the model with lacquer.
Making the glass profiles The texture of the straw roof was printed and bonded between the two glass plates. The third plate was added and the glass profiles were ready to be assembled.
Assembling the glass profiles and adding the kit The remaining spaces between the glass profiles was coated with real kit.
Thank you ! Andrada Bulai tel: (004) 0729 024 888 e-mail: bulaiandrada@yahoo.com