ARCHITECTURE P O RT F O L I O
2 0 1 4 - 2 0 2 0
MARA CATARGIU Selected works
W E L C O M E My journey began with the belief that an architect is a complete man, bringing together multiple disciplines. As I came to discover during university, this becomes true in the sense that a complex formation and experience makes a better architect. This is what I searched for during my years of university- several experiences of studying abroad to show me multiple approaches towards doing and teaching architecture, while, in compensation to the theoretical part, I searched also to be closer to the execution of a project, however small, understanding its complexity. My aim all along was to understand the both sides of architectural demand versus how it can be made, while always valuing the re-use of the existing, the heritage, the history and knowledge that can be of great use in building today.
Mara-Teodora Catargiu Bd. Ferdinand, nr. 73 900721 Constanta 0040 735 187 052 mtcatargiu@gmail.com
Université Catholique de Louvain Faculté d’architecture, d’ingénierie architecturale, d’urbanisme (Site de Bruxelles) «Ion Mincu» University for Architecture and Urbanism Bucharest Faculty of Architecture-English Section
E X P E R I E N C E EBRD Integrated Cultural Heritage Framework on Dobruja > part of the team that composed the Initial Asessment on the cultural resources and active initiatives in the region, particularly working on the urban environment of Constanta as well as the rural areas of Dobruja The Summer School in Jurilovca > a project bringing into attention the vernacular heritage of Dobruja, a multiethnic region, focusing on the russian-lipovan community, aiming to preserve traditional building techniques, rediscover local craftsmen and restore a typical house in the village, sponsored by The Romanian Order of Architects OPUS- Architecture Studio > practice in an architectural studio working with built heritage, drawing of the existing situation for two churches, architectural drafting in AutoCad Adopt a House in Roșia Montană > volunteering in the restoration working sites in Roșia, building a dry stacked stone foundation for the new forge, participating in the organization of the Heritage Days in Roșia Montană (2019), clay plastering of the forge walls The Summer School “Architecture in GPMH” > participating in the workshop for designing furniture pieces destined for the future Eco-museum Balta, field research and documenting of vernacular architecture in the region and of the contemporary interventions done upon it SC. JanusProject SRL >architectural practice, involving drafting and composing the specific dossier for obtaining the building permit for a project, architectural drafting in AutoCad The natural construction seminar “The Green House” > learning the technique of building with Cob, plastering and decoration, along with the execution of a green roof
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ARCHITECTURE P R O J E C T S A.1. CO-HOUSING........ pp. 7 A.2. COLLECTIVE HOUSING...................... pp. 15 A.3. CAN ANYONE DO ARCHITECTURE?....... pp. 21 A.4. THE INTRUDER. A HOTEL PROJECT........ pp. 25 A.5. A SEISMIC EMERGENCY............... pp. 31 A.6. A CITIZEN’S HALL IN BUCHAREST................. pp. 43 A.7. AN URBAN PROMENADE.............. pp. 61 A.8. NESTING IN BUCHAREST_Masters Thesis................................ pp. 75
OTHER CURRICULAR P R O J E C T S O.1 QUESTIONS D’ARCHITECTURE.... pp. 39 O.2. UTOPIA_A PLASTIC ISLAND........................... pp. 51 O.3. SEMINAIRE DE RECHERCHE................ pp. 71
P E R S O N A L E X P L O R AT I O N S P.1. THE GREEN HOUSE COB SEMINAR............. pp. 13 P.2. ADOPT A HOUSE IN ROSIA MONTANĂ...... pp. 55 P.3. A CHAIR DESIGN. pp.59 P.4. THE SUMMER SCHOOL IN JURILOVCA................... pp. 93
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A.1
CO-HOUSING A new typology in the periphery
This project illustrates the transition from individual housing to a larger scale ensemble of grouped units sharing the same plot, with a given site located situated towards the outskirts of Bucharest. The objective was to offer the opportunity for nine families to live in their individual house, while sharing common spaces which would strenghten the community. Moreover, for us as a team it became clear that the intervention could offer more to the neighborhood itself, considering the contrast between the existing urban fabric which reminded of a rather rural atmosphere and the novelty of the proposed intervention which would
introduce a completely new typology in the area. In this way, the proposal takes into account the possibility of minimizing the footprint of the houses at the ground floor while elevating the private spaces of the houses. The freed ground was designed as an open space dedicated to the community and to the public, becoming part of the existing fabric where the gardens occupy an important space. The community takes up the responsibility of the space, having the houses open towards it, generating a gentle sense of surveillance of a space that is part of the continuous public ground but still has a different status compared to the outside.
SECOND YEAR/ 2015-2016 Team project
A new typology at the periphery of the city Co-Housing
Technical Detailing Co-housing
Sections throughout the pro Co-Ho
oject and the existing fabric ousing
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P.1
THE GREEN HOUSE Cob Seminar
The seminar for natural constructions organized by architect Ileana Mavrodin focuses mostly on learning about building with cob, both through theoretical lessons and practical experience. During the two weeks seminar, we have learned about mixing the materials and building with cob, as well as the technique to
create a green roof. The coordinator has explained about foundations, structure and building the walls, but also about finding different pigments in the earth, creating opportunities for plasters and decorations. In practice, we have gathered experience by building a porch for the existing house, decorating walls and finishing a green roof.
Summer school/ 2016 Individual participation
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A.2
COLLECTIVE HOUSING
The urban analysis/scenario and the proposal were the main phases of this project. The first phase consisted of an understanding of the urban island and its components, based on the hypothesis that this is the basic unit on which Bucharest was built. The variety of uses encountered, but also the amount of unused buildings created the opportunity to develop a scenario in which these could be rehabilitated and receive new uses, creating a new atmosphere into this area placed along an important boulevard in Bucharest, but still in a state of decay. However, the urban island did provide for important functions such as education
and spaces for small businesses, the urban scenario aiming to complete the functional diversity and transform it into an area of interest, making it desirable for living. As such, the project for collective housing comes as an extension of this diverse space, bringing more opportunities for work at the ground floor, while the apartments are structured around an inner atrium, bringing public space at the center of the volume. The apartments range from studios to three bedroom units, while the last floor provides for four larger lofts which benefit from their own community space, making them function rather as individual houses on top of the ensemble.
THIRD YEAR/ 2016-2017 Team project
A public ground floor Collective housing
Sections through the apartments Collective housing
Detailing Collective housing
Detailing Collective housing
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A.3
C AN ANYONE DO ARCHITECTURE?
An exploration on the theme “I do because I can...�, the project is a research for the place of the architect and his/her position regarding the user of the project. Thus, through this research on the knowledge and limit of the architect, the question that arose was that of the user, and whether he/she can create and shape architecture in order to truly appropriate it. In this way, the project materialized in a shapeshifting box, a pavilion made out of layers which are able to pivot around a set of columns. Through this movement, the layers are able to transform the inner area and become whatever the user desires it
to be, creating a space where wall becomes table, shelft or even staircase. In this way, the knowledge of the architect and the experience of the user come together, the architect providing the user with the freedom to act and completely take the space into possestion. The shape shifting cube becomes a prototype for a unit that is able to transform according to the users needs and desires, while adapting also in time. The concept was based on the idea that the feeling of belonging into a space is much deeper once the user is actively and physically involved into the creation and shaping of the space.
FOURTH YEAR/ 2017-2018 Individual project
The Shape Shifting box I do because I can...
Architectural Model I do because I can...
*Performance of Marina Abramovic and Ulay, Bologna , 1977, associated with the definition of Intruder in The Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture
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A.4
THE INTRUDER A Hotel Project
The theme of the project was that of a “street hotel�, one meant to open up and occupy an entire street close to the city centre. The site is located in the centre of Bucharest, on Constantin Mille street, one that unites a few active locations, whilst the big majority of the buildings are abandoned. Thus, the purpose of the new hotel was to attract attention towards these empty constructions, infiltrating in the available free spaces around them, demonstrating their potential as existing infrastructure and hopefully leading to their future activation. In this way, the project consists of an urban strategy which would use all the existing objectives and create new ones in the empty carcasses,
creating a context for the street hotel. Further on, the addition is based on the concept of an intruder, meaning that the hotel is to infiltrate around in the voids, influencing the existing and bringing a new perspective to it, while being changed by it itself, much like a tourist arriving in a new city. The hotel provides for the basic unit, the room, as a minimal module that finds place everywhere along the street, whilst the complementary functions are to be developed in the existing, abandoned buildings the give value to the place. The approach chosen remains focused on the environment existing on site, whilst the hotel is inserted towards the back of the island, preserving the existing atmosphere.
FOURTH YEAR/ 2017-2018 Individual project
The project took into account the presence of several abandoned monuments which could be reactivated through the project, along with the remaining objectives such as theatres and cinemas, creating a cultural axis of interest. Urban Analysis The Intruder
THE HOTEL ROOM
a camouflage
a break
a window to the city
The Hotel Room_Atmosphere The Intruder
The Street Occupation of the Hotel The Intruder
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A.5
A SEISMIC EMERGENCY
The study focuses on the question of seismic activity in the city of Bucharest, much more intense than in other cities, while creating also a parallel to the question of heritage and the cultural earthquake it faced related to the political changes in the country. In a struggle between its turkish roots, aspiration towards a western city, the communist transformations and the contemporary society, the architecture and heritage of the city has remained behind the times. In an accentuated process of decay, abandoned and not up to date with the current building requirements, architecture monuments of the past are becoming a risk
in the present, not being able to withstand a future earthquake. At the same time, the city of Bucharest, already the result of different cultural influences, needs to preserve this heritage, which offers it its identity and complexity, as well as the characteristic diversity of the settlement. Thus, the project seeks to understand the extent of the existing buildings which are at risk of collapsing, marked by a red dot, in search for a landmark which could be representative this movement for structural and functional rehabilitation. In this way, the exploration leads to the Ciclop parking, the first building in Bucharest integrating an anti-seismic system, while still being marked by the red dot today.
FIFTH YEAR-ERASMUS UCLouvain/ 2018-2019 Team project
Element for Structural Reinforcement A Seismic Emergency
The Cyclop Gara A Seismic
age_ A case study Emergency
The Frida Cohen project_Context Questions d’architecture
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O.1
QUESTIONS D’ARCHITECTURE
The subject of the class was to analyse and decompose works of architecture done by the romanian architect Marcel Iancu, active in Bucharest during the interwar period. Our analysis looked at the entrance, circulation and the living rooms of three parcticular projects, observing also the integration of work within the living unit. At the same time, the representation
of these spaces varied between geometric decomposition of the rooms, axonometric view, perspective illustrations and even representations of the context in which the building in found. My role withing the team was mainly focused on 3d modelling, creating a base for the final illustrations and also showing the representation of the context, including the analized elemtents fitted withing the building.
FIFTH YEAR-ERASMUS UCLouvain/ 2018-2019 Team project
The Frida Cohen project_productive room Questions d’architecture
The Frida Cohen project_living and work together Questions d’architecture
*Representation of the Manuc Inn in Bucharest, along with the atmosphere in its inner courtyard, since the 19th century
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A.6
A CITIZEN’S HALL IN BUCHAREST
A reinterpretation of a multipurpose hall and its place in the contemporary city, the theme of the project proposed such a hall integrated into the historic centre of Bucharest. Integrating a variety of functions ranging from entertainment to social services, the hall would be inserted into the urban fabric build from different historic references, creating a specific appearance and density. As such, the project relies on this diversity, paying respect to a particular built structure, namely that of the “han�, referring to a fortified construction meant to harbour merchants on their commercial routes from the Orient to the Western Europe. These routes intersected in the place which became nowadays the city of Bucharest,
hosting a multitude of such structures, becoming the foundation of the city. However, an important factor remained the density, which was to preserve a porosity through the central courtyard, becoming a reason to decompose the hall and place its functions along a path, activating multiple areas through one unitary concept. Moreover, the promenade extends from the north to the south of the city centre, creating a much needed connection and crossing the existing river. Finally, the division of the hall does bring a coherent project and more definition to the historic urban fabric, but, considering the global image, the planned pavilions of the ensemble could even become a subject for different architecture projects in the future.
FIFTH YEAR-ERASMUS UCLouvain/ 2018-2019 Team project
The desired atmosphere of the project was inspired by the tradition of the inns/ caravanserail ( or han in romanian), as a stopping point along the commercial roads. Aside from hosting the travellers, these generated opportunities for exchange, both for goods and stories, which gave the place its effervescent atmosphere.
Effervescence A Citizen’s Hall in Bucharest
Watch your waste_axonometric view A plastic island
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O.2
UTOPIA A Plastic Island
An exploration done under the subject of Utopia, taught by professor GĂŠrald Ledent, the team project was meant to criticize one aspect of our current daily lives and attempt to offer a solution. Our choice was to bring into attention the question of plastic matter that reaches the oceans and gathers into large patches, decomposing at a very slow rate and arriving back onto the shores of various locations. The question was to be represented using
various techniques, amongst them being the axonometric view and the collage. As such, the axonometric represented a way of understanding garbage landfills and how they reach the water without any supervision, while the collage shows a perspective into the future filled by plastic and pollution. On the other hand, the proposal was meant to question whether actual islands could be built with all the waste found in the waters, creating new colonies that could sail independantly anywhere.
FIFTH YEAR-ERASMUS UCLouvain/ 2018-2019 Team project
A possible future_collage A plastic island
A possible future_proposal A plastic island
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P.2
ADOPT A HOUSE IN R O Ș I A M O N TA N Ă
A very dear project that I took part in focuses on restoring the built heritage of Roșia Montană, a village that was marked by a very rich history due to the gold mines nearby. Its recent story includes the mining project that was meant to bury everything under a lake of waste obtained from the exploitation of the mines, the protests against the project in 2013, the birth of the initiative of Adopt a House, and the recent submission of Roșia Montană to enter the UNESCO heritage list. I arrived in the village for the summer in 2019, when I met Claudia and Virgil Apostol, the architects in charge of the
project, and began to work on a foundation for the new forge that would be placed on a small cliff nearby. The work was tough and took a long time, but in all the experience was so wonderful that I returned a month later for the Heritage Days, where I helped in the organization. This year, I was part of the small group who came back in Roșia to help in the working sites that were most urgent, taking the necessary precautions due to the pandemic. As such, I contributed to the plastering of the forge, sculpting wood beams and cleaning old metal pieces that are to be part of the new exhibition dedicated to traditional building techniques.
Summer school/ 2019-2020 Individual participation
59
P.3
A CHAIR DESIGN
Another Summer School that I had the opportunity to participate in took place in the Mehedinti Geopark. During two weeks, we were divided between activities such as planning a new accomodation facility in the village of Balta, creating the architectural design of one room and the lobby under the supervision of architects Alexandra Mihailciuc and Andrei Tache. Our mission was to design two particular furniture objects to be placed in these rooms and become involved in their execution. As such, my focus was to create a chair that could function also as a ladder, considering that the host room benefitted from very
high ceilings and was meant to have bunk beds in the future. I designed this chair as slim as possible, taking into account that it would lean on the bunk beds when used as a ladder, but also as a high chair, taking into account the planned bureau that would be placed at the height of the window sill. The execution was done together with the local carpenter and the other participants. On the other hand, the rest of the time was dedicated to the research on the local vernacular architecture and discovering the surviving crafts and building techiniques, opposed to the contemporary interventions that recently appeared on the houses.
Summer school/ 2019 Individual participation
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61
A.7
AN URBAN PROMENADE
The project began with the urban analysis of Bucharest and researched the urban space in correlation with its intensity and attractiveness. The findings led to a catalogue of public spaces divided into those that are either wanted-often times built by the authorities, and those lived by the people, two types of spaces that do not often coincide. The search went further inside the urban islands and public buildings found close to the city centre, but currentlty neglected. On one hand, the proposal was represented by this repertoire of spaces that could become open for public activites, which could ultimately unite on a promenade according to the choice of the pedestrian. The promenade
reunites a series of urban chambers that are meant to activate presently neglected spaces. In order to achieve this, we have searched for minimal interventions that could improve the use of the space, such as working with floor textures and urban furniture. The final purpose would be to connect two large green areas in the neighborhood, contaminating the available spaces on the way. Finally, the project also explores the development of an urban island bordered by high- rise, socialist blocks, while still preserving the bourgeoise atmosphere of the previous urban fabric. The variations of this final element consist mostly of plays between private and public property, stemming from a complicated situation of property in the past.
MASTER 2/ 2019-2020 Team project
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A Succession of Nine Urban C An Urban
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Chambers- one possible option n Promenade
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1. Urban Acupuncture_Between public space-wanted and lived An Urban Promenade
2. Urban Acupuncture_Activation of abandoned objectives An Urban Promenade
3. Revitalisation_Activation of An Urban
an urban island inside and out Promenade
3 Development Scenarios_Appropriation of public space An Urban Promenade
3 Development Scena An Urban
arios_A garden for all Promenade
3 Development Scenarios_The In-Between gallery An Urban Promenade
Illustration_Preliminary sketch Research Seminar
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O.3
RESEARCH SEMINAR
Under the supervision of professors Christine Fontaine and CĂŠcile Chanvillard, the seminar was meant to clarify the subject of the final project as well as the sources/ research context in which the dissertation would fit in. As such, I was allowed to explore the subject of Bricolage and understand the perspective that I wanted to take on further in my study.
The results of this research consisted in a panoramic bibliography that unites the most important sources of literature for my study, as well as a line of thought that aims to present the discovery of these sources that derive from one another. At the same time, the accompanying illustration narrows down the topic of bricolage to the space of the socialist blocks and the personal experience of inhabiting them.
MASTER 2/ 2019-2020 Individual work
Panoramic Bibliography Research Seminar
Illustration_How well do you know your neighbor? Research Seminar
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A.8
NESTING IN BUCHAREST
The project is born from the personal experience of living within the socialist blocks in Romania, and especially in Bucharest. The subject is centered on the theme of bricolage present in this environment, where the narrative is built on the experience of the different generations inhabiting it and the specific bricolage they generate, both at the inside and the outside of the private space. These interventions, while fulfilling the role of installation into the space, are also revealing the needs of the inhabitants, creating signs that the architect is able to interpret, in his/her attempt to imagine a way to improve the living space. In this way, the project offers a new layer which can support bricolage, without erasing
the existing base. The project is taking into account also the different types of property encountered in the blocks, where each inhabitant seems preoccupied by the private space, while completely neglecting the common property or even occupying it. The intervention comes also as an architectural alternative to thermal insulation, attempting to involve the inhabitants in the process of activating the spaces found under the common property, introducing functional diversity and producing a coagulation of a community in this process of empowerment. This thesis was done under the atelier coordinated by CĂŠcile Chanvillard, Christine Fontaine, Jean-Jacques Jungers, GĂŠrald Ledent, together with the expertise of Č˜tefan Ghenciulescu.
MASTER THESIS/ 2019-2020 Individual project
Three generation living in the block Nesting in Bucharest
The density of socialist blocks in Bucharest Nesting in Bucharest
A collection of Nesting in
living situations n Bucharest
A collection of Nesting in
living situations n Bucharest
References_ The Nesting in
e existing Bricolage n Bucharest
Existing_A repertoire of public surfaces Nesting in Bucharest
Propoal_Between public and common Nesting in Bucharest
References_Archi Nesting in
itectural examples n Bucharest
Existing_A case study of Bricolage Nesting in Bucharest
Proposal_A new facade of the block Nesting in Bucharest
The layering of informal interventions Nesting in Bucharest
The integration of existing Bricolage Nesting in Bucharest
The use variatio Nesting in
on on each floor n Bucharest
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P.4
THE SUMMER SCHOOL IN JURILOVC A
After my participation in several Summer schools, I partnered with the associations Lipovenesc and Arche in order to create the project of a new summer school in Jurilovca. The village was founded by the lipovan community, that is still very present in the multiethnic landscape of Dobruja, and who left a particular style of vernacular architecture and traditions. Until recently a very hermetic community, the lipovans are now more willing to share their culture with others. I became involved with planning the project and writing the application for funding to the Romanian Order of Architects, for which we were successful. The purpose of the school would be to restore at least one vernacular house, putting into practice the abandoned traditional techniques, demonstrating that
confort can be achieved without the loss of the local architecture, but also attempting to bring into attention the local craftsmen that are still present and in need to find a way to transmit their knowledge further. However, the pandemic did not allow us to go further with the summer school, leaving us to organize a three days workshop to create adobe bricks, needed for the future restoration. In a friendly atmosphere and respecting the requirements imposed by the pandemic, the workshop had a great success and gained popularity in the media, creating a favourable context for the future project of the summer school. The significance of the project is given by the characteristic of Dobruja as an ethnic mosaic, with a reflection on the architecture of each village belonging to a particular ethnic group.
Summer school project/ 2019-2020 Partner
THANK YOU