Urban modern house by Jenică Craiu and Alexandra Demetriu is an interwar residential adaptive reuse project of 2023 in Romania, Bucharest. While the 1946 building functioned as a private residence with segregated service circulation before falling into disuse, the transformation of 2023 provided a serialized network of public cultural and event spaces integrated via a minimalist metal infrastructure, increasing the usable surface area from a fragmented domestic layout to a continuous built footprint of 430 m².
This project contributes to the social-ecological transformation by rehabilitating a discarded interwar structure instead of opting for demolition, uncovering and preserving its generous original raw volumetric qualities. The intervention utilizes an economically restricted and carbon-conscious palette of raw materials, implementing lightweight steel sheets, reinforced wire glass, and translucent wire mesh planes that can be entirely disassembled or reversed in the future. Furthermore, by replacing heavy enclosing structures with open plant canopies and integrated vegetal screens, the design increases urban biodiversity and integrates low-impact climate mitigation into the city's historic landscape.
Bucuresti
Romania
House
House
1946
2016