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Derelict building to cultural space

Vlad Sebastian Rusu

Cultural Palace of Blaj by Vlad Sebastian Rusu is an institutional heritage rehabilitation of 2016 in Blaj, Romania. On a restrictive €2M budget, it transformed a 1930s auditorium—gutted by a 1995 fire and left ruined for 17 years—into the town's sole multipurpose cultural facility, stripping out intrusive 1960s additions to restore its original spatial layout.

With 70% of the tight budget allocated to structural stability, the project pioneers low-impact, reversible conservation by building a new roof structure entirely independent of the historic walls. It avoids the high embodied carbon of new building materials by leaving the original fire-scarred brickwork exposed and utilizing reclaimed local bricks for structural repairs. Coupled with a new daylight-harvesting roof and flexible, seating-free layouts, the design maximizes long-term public utility while employing sustainable, long-lasting materials like copper, organic plasters, and Cor-Ten steel.

City

Blaj

Country

Romania

Use Before

Ruin

Use After

Cultural Center

Construction

1930

Year

2016