High Density Residential Building / Solano & Catalán, Elena Saricu

Feb 2011

Uploaded by Andrew Rosenberg — Filed under: Housing ,Residential ,Selected , Bucharest, Concrete, Elena Saricu, Romania, Solano & Catalán

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Architects: Solano & Catalan / Elena Saricu
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Constructor: Hercesa / Virom
Project year: 2007 – 2010
Photographs: Andrei Mârgulescu

One of the most immediate impact of the real estate boom experienced in Spain between the years 2000 and 2007 was the expansion abroad of some major companies which, driven by various factors (such as credited specialization, exhaustion of domestic demand, increase in cost of land acquired within the country and experience in the construction and sale of such assets, among others), and having a good knowledge that certain places are in need of dwellings –in particular the countries of Eastern Europe–, the early years of the century witnessed an outstanding landing of the Spanish real estate business abroad.

lower level plan

Later on, because of the global crisis and the collapse of the real estate bubble, many of these colonizing adventures –in numerous cases, purely speculative operations– were abruptly vanished. However, there were other professionally designed developments rooted in the different nationwide realities which came off strongly, to the point that they became innovative references both for their positive result in the domestic market and for collaborating in the housing policy parallel undertook by local governments. It is the case of this development which the Spanish company Hercesa is erecting in phases in a dense popular area of Bucharest.

: © Andrei Mârgulescu

: © Andrei Mârgulescu

: © Andrei Mârgulescu

: © Andrei Mârgulescu

: site plan

: lower level plan

: plan level 5

: plan level 9

* Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

Cite:
Rosenberg , Andrew . "High Density Residential Building / Solano & Catalán, Elena Saricu" 15 Feb 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 21 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/109973>

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munter roe says:

Super high density.

I couldn’t get a winks sleep in a place like that. Always someone wrecking about day and night.

# February 15, 2011 at 07:04

Dennis says:

Why do architects insist on these “stick on” cantilevered balconies for residential blocks? you see it EVERYWHERE. Standing on one of those makes me so uneasy! A recessed balcony is far more desirable, plus it offers protection from the sun and rain, not to mention the obvious benefit of privacy… or is it just me?

# February 15, 2011 at 08:47

archilocus says:

You mean loggias ?
I faced recently the same issue for a hight density housing project I work on. The main reason is loggias being included in building limits while balconies are not. Other reasons are natural light, construction cost (in the example above it would be 4x the surface), aesthetics (depends on the architect)
But here comes a wider question: why do we systematically incorporate balconies (or loggias) in building projects, sometimes in the expense of logic ?

# February 15, 2011 at 09:35

Clint Newton says:

It a simple matter of money. Cantilevers don’t count as living space. To build inside the drip line of a building as you would prefer, would mean sacrificing some of your floor plan to the balcony or increase the footprint of the building. Also recessed outdoor spaces are difficult to control where the water goes when it rains. It comes down to a matter of money and architects have to satisfy the requirements of the building owner/ developer as well as the applicable codes. Also what makes you feel safe and comfortable might make someone else claustrophobic. I guess it really is a matter of perception as well as economics.