Architects: Ion Popusoi + Bogdan Preda
Location: Brasov, Romania
Client: Micomis
Engineering: Rozini
Site Area: 415 sqm
Project Area: 1500 sqm
Project Year: 2007 – 2009
Photographs: Cosmin Dragomir
The building site is situated on Cetatuia Street, at the edge of the historical center of the town, with an amazing panoramic view over the mountains and historical center of the city.
This context demanded that the positive aspects of the site and the landscape are emphasized and exploited, while the space is used to its maximum potential.
The building was designed as a residential housing including 6 apartments (2 per each level) and 2 lofts. This led to a compact building, very conscious of the value of the site and of the panoramic views it could offer.
The clean, simple shape of the construction is enriched using the contrast and interaction between different materials with specific textures and colors.
Windows reach to the floor, which makes the room appear larger, flooded with light, while roof windows bring daylight deep down into the living room through the glass flooring.
The glass wall on the last floor for the master’s bedroom opens a new direction to the living room and farther to the city through the roof windows.
Without these glazed surfaces – horizontal and vertical – the house would have lost a very important spatial dimension and the relationship between the interior and the landscape.
Strongly emphasized verticality of the living room walls is attenuated by the gallery of openings of various sizes and depths, connecting this room to something beyond the wall, either inside or outside the house. These are actually the interior decorations of the house.
The stair was reduced to its minimum – the steps. Railing was almost dematerialized by transparent glass, thus non-essential elements that altered the clear perception of the space where eliminated as much as possible.
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- plans
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- elevations
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- diagram 01
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- diagram 02
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- diagram 03
Awfull exterior design, in contradiction with the inside decoration. Although, that windows with PVC frame are out of their age … wood should have been the only posibble choice.
Not so bad from outside,but it’s crazy inside and stylish too
Wow, is the exterior from the 80′s or what?
the exterior is a bad joke
One of the most impresive attic spaces I’ve seen!
To Alexander – if you mean VELUX windows in bathroom is PVC, you are out of age with news. They are timber profile but poluretane coated (wet resistant).
The building is located in the protection zone of a 18 century fortification built on a small hill in the city (the protection zone is 150 meters around the fortifications), although trough corruption they managed to get a building permit. Also, they did not respect the construction permit, the building should have been built with one level less (it is kind of illegally built).
The site is protected because of the fortification and its impact on the city’s view, but this building, trough its height and dimensions is aggressing this view, practically destroying the cityscape in that area.
This is why in none of the photos or drawings, the context is never shown.
Unfortunately these kind of things happen quite often in these areas (no respect to the context, no respect to the laws etc.), and architects are part of this.
Neither the quality of the building is not to great either, there are some housing blocks from the 60’s near by that are much more cool, they have real architecture quality and they are inserted in a respectful way in the context.
http://www.ionpopusoi.ro/cetatuia_context.html
Here you find a link to some photos showing context:
at the left part of the building there is a 4-levels housing block from the 60′s at the right part you can find a modern house.
So you can judge by yourself
either the historical context of the area
or the quality of these buildings
and the way this new building was inserted.
The protection zone of a 18 century fortification is limited by the MaiorCranta street.
This building’s site is not included in the fortification protected area.
This insertion may not be perfect but it isn’t disrespectful in any way.
During the construction proces the height of the building was not changed.
I don’t think it needs more comments, pictures can talk better than me and also they respond to
each and every thing any anonimous person could malitiously write here.
Micujis thanks
the windows are made of wood frame
how about the exterior aspect of the building? it looks to me it was the client’s idea, wasn’t it?
Bravo Tati! Sunt mandru de tine!
Congratulations!
The building is fine and I love the idea of the sun invading the inside space. Of course there are problems, but I think we should find the good parts when buildings like this are coming to life. If anyone would take a look at what is building large (Romania being the case here) would agree that this building is few grades higher.
Keep up the good work!