Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.01
Authors: Cosmin Caciuc
The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur theorized in his article “Architecture and Narrativity” (1998), addressed to architects and urban planners, three distinct levels of architectural thinking dedicated to place, having as a starting point phenomenological hermeneutics: prefiguration, configuration and refiguration. He thus outlined the foundations of a phenomenological and contextualist approach to urban space and architecture. Architects concerned with placemaking-type urban micro- interventions need adequate means of interpreting place, starting with both the contextualist tradition expressed in the early 1970s by Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter, and with the contribution brought by recent phenomenological hermeneutics. In this paper, I redevelop the contextualist methodology based on the identification of new phenomenological directions through which this approach could be enriched: the linealogy developed by the Scottish anthropologist Tim Ingold between 2007-2015 and the relatively recent concept of placemaking, which came to the attention of our profession through the study of William H. Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1980). My concern for micro-projects dedicated to the rehabilitation of physically and socially degraded spaces between buildings made me explore much broader theoretical directions, which intertwine the transdisciplinary concerns of humanistic geography, urban sociology, philosophy of place, urbanism and architecture. The expansion of areas of interest in place studies after 2020, especially those included in the volume edited by Lynne Manzo and Patrick Devine-Wright, Place Attachment: Advances in theory, Methods and Application (2021) and in the collection of texts edited by Dominique Hes and Cristina Hernandez-Santin, Placemaking Fundamentals for the Built Environment (2020), has allowed for new conceptual interrelationships within architectural theory, broadening the possibilities for understanding the heterogeneous conditions that underlie urban life. The critical challenge brought to traditional contextualism targets the limitations of Gestalt analysis and formalism based strictly on the urban poché method and figure-ground studies, confronting more deeply the interweaving of place and dwelling phenomena in the daily life of the city.
Keywords: place phenomenology, architectural topology, urban hermeneutics, transdisciplinarity
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.02
Authors: Stefania Kenley
The theme “Dynamic Spaces, Architectural Interferences” proposed for Argument Journal #17th entails a spatio- temporal dimension in art and architecture. The conversation about space and time has set a new aesthetic language where a fourth dimension had been imagined and represented in the visual arts of the 20th Century. In the same time, imaging technologies have allowed scientific analysis to reveal new aspects of the universe, or of previously unseen parts of the human brain. The title “Urban Imprints in a Vitrified Time” suggests a way of looking at architecture’s presence in urban space through photographic and written memories of artworks and of architecture. While the first part of this essay is focused on historical examples, the second part includes a theoretical discussion of networks in general. In the third part, a comparison of three maps – Bucharest, Paris and London – opens a more specific discussion about existing urban networks. But, their configurations placed above an assemblage of three kinds of fossil imprints, provoke a change of vantage point, from historical projections to images shaping a possible future. Revisiting what Gaston Bachelard called poetic image, the aim of this text is to bring together the words and the iconography able to express our perception of the current urban changes.
Keywords: contemporary art, dynamic spaces, networks, poetic image, rhythm, space-time, urban studies, neurosciences
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.03
Authors: Ildikó Lihăt
The importance of green spaces is increasingly evident globally and nationally, having a positive impact on quality of life and represents a significant resource for sustainable urban development promotion. The global trend towards developing cities with a focus on natural environments provides an opportunity to review economic and social development directions, changing how should urban development been approached. Using established analytical criteria some case studies (global and from the EU) are identified and analysed, focusing on the extension of green infrastructure by leveraging residual areas and their positive impact on rehabilitated areas aspects like urban, landscape, cultural, social, ecological, and economic. Comparative study allows for a deeper understand of different scenarios and how these projects have affected the rehabilitation of degraded land or the entire city, which can be good examples. The multifunctionality of green spaces is the inclusion of ecological, functional, structural and aesthetic roles. The management and regeneration of residual areas is essential for sustainable urban development and community. Suitable planning and strategic management of these spaces is necessary to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of green infrastructure, being is a key tool for promoting balanced urban development.
Keywords: green infrastructure, residual areas, urban regeneration, ecological benefits
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.04
Authors: Cristina - Olga Gociman, Anca Mitrache, Andrei Maslaev, Monica Ene, Cristian Iosif Moscu
The building envelope plays a critical role in ensuring safety, sustainability, and energy efficiency, especially in aging office buildings subject to evolving regulatory demands and natural degradation. Facade systems such as curtain walls, natural stone cladding, and glazing elements are essential to long-term durability and occupant comfort, yet their performance is highly dependent on execution quality and regular maintenance. This paper presents a comprehensive technical assessment of the BRD headquarters in Victory Square, Bucharest, focusing on the integration of expert evaluations to verify compliance with essential performance standards. The proposed intervention addresses safety risks, improves energy efficiency in line with NZEB (Nearly Zero-Energy Building) targets, enhances thermal and hydro insulation, and incorporates green and volumetric design strategies. The approach highlights the importance of early diagnostics and proactive maintenance in extending facade lifespan, reducing operational costs, and supporting the sustainable transformation of existing urban buildings.
Keywords: envelope retrofitting, proactive maintenance, energy efficiency, existing building environmental mitigation
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.05
Authors: Anca Pocitan
Present in all areas of life, in nature, science, art and architecture, dynamism represents progress, and progress has always been associated with predominantly connotations, as it has been and acting as a driving force or the evolution of humanity. The first movement of the historical avant-garde, Futurism, is characterized characterized more by dynamism than by any aesthetic attribute.. In all its creations there is no text or artistic representation that does not depict movement, force, energy, transformation, no action that does not oppose everything static, immobile, or predictable, which is associated with tradition, style, or the establishment it embodies. Futurism seems to be defined by dynamism to the point of being identified by it, but in order to understand this equivalence as accurately as possible, it is necessary to investigate the role of the first avant-garde movement in promoting dynamism in architecture as well. A visionary movement and particularly mercurial in the expression of its ideals, Futurism released a large body of writings, among which manifestoes stand out as true theoretical compendiums of the movement. By analysing the representative futurist manifestoes of architecture, this article aims to confirm the interdependence between Futurism and dynamism, a seemingly obvious hypothesis, yet exciting to explore, given the heterogeneous nature of futurist productions and versatility of the various artistic fields. Exploring the theoretical concepts of Futurism, more than a century after its founding, is not only a tribute to the centenary of its protagonists, but also an opportunity to examine the sources of dynamism in architecture and their integration into the current architectural vocabulary. Taking as reference the most famous manifesto of futurist architecture, signed by Antonio Sant’Elia, this study will examine the manifestoes of some of the key figures of futurist ideology, such as those of founder Filippo Tommaso Marinetti together with painters, architects and journalists, whose vision of Futurist architecture follows the evolutionary thread of the artistic, scientific and even political trends of the early 20th century.
Keywords: avant-garde, Futurism, dynamism, architecture, manifesto, Antonio Sant’Elia
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.06
Authors: Zenaida Florea
This paper aims to investigate both the transformative capacity and the intriguing persistence of minor spaces within Bucharest dwellings from the late 19th century to the early decades of the 20th century. The studied period marks the evolution of urban housing under the dual influence of Western models and national aspirations, up to the moment when the process became centralized. While the exterior of the building, sensitive to the evolution of stylistic trends, may be considered the most dynamic component of architecture, the planimetric configuration, inhabitants’ requirements, and functional organization evolve more slowly, requiring a significant span of time before potential alterations become noticeable. The notable shifts in housing typologies during this period trigger transformations in minor spaces. On the one hand, these secondary spaces support the proper functioning of the dwelling, on the other, they interact with the city’s irregular fabric, typically located “in the back,” in areas conducive to spatial negotiation. Their a-formal dimension enables the release of major rooms, which are subjected to architectural stylistic ideals and the exigencies of the street. While minor spaces are the first to incorporate the latest domestic innovations, housing new appliances and technical systems essential for modern life, their continued presence over the decades silently bears witness to enduring social hierarchies within the home. This paper will explore two “species” of minor spaces: vertical circulation with secondary access and rooms intended for domestic staff accommodation. Their transformation and the ways in which they interact with emerging housing typologies, as well as with shifting societal expectations regarding domestic protocol, will be examined through the analysis of their characteristics, drawing on architectural plans, municipal building regulations, specialist publications, and period advertisements.
Keywords: minor spaces, urban, dwellings, rooms, service rooms, transformation
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.07
Authors: Vlad-Răzvan Nicolescu
The Athenaeum represents a type of building with a unique appearance attested in the history of Classical Antiquity, built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, century. II AD. About this first historical form of the Athenaeum, currently known as Hadrian’s Athenaeum, we know certain aspects derived from its mention in ancient historical literature that speak mainly about the function and the events hosted in this place. Other clues related to the architectural features of the edifice remain shrouded in uncertainty, in the absence of any archaeological sources of ancient Rome attributed to this type of building. However, archaeological investigations undertaken with the extension of Rome’s metro line C between 2007 and 2011 resulted in the unexpected discovery of a public edifice attributed to the reign of Emperor Hadrian (AD 117- 138), which has been hypothesized to represent the ancient form of the Athenaeum. In parallel with its first and only ancient appearance, the Athenaeum disappears for a period of more than a millennium that broadly overlaps with the period of the Middle Ages, but it experiences a strong revival with the first signs of Modernity, starting with the 17th century. Between these two determining periods for the course of the Athenaeum, the original ancient one and the one of modern recurrence, the ambiguity surrounding the program emerges following the confrontation of the meanings assumed in Classical Antiquity and the alterations they undergo with its new appearances. The research on the particular evolution of this architectural program aims precisely at the attempt to elucidate the ambiguity of the Athenaeum, by investigating the sources behind its revival, as well as the features that characterize the continuity of its architectural phenomenon, other than the simple recovery and perpetuation of its name. The comparison between these two postures is what ultimately outlines the dynamic profile of the Athenaeum, materialized through the variation of forms and meanings that it knows following the revitalization of the program in various cultural spaces. In this way, the dynamism associated with the Athenaeum is a characteristic derived both from the ambiguity resulting from the diversity of modern forms, and from their evolutions which in turn know transformations over time. The evolutionary processes to which the modern appearances of the Athenaeum are subjected constitute its metabolic dynamism, in permanent resonance with the much wider phenomena that characterize the cultural and social space of the West as a whole.
Keywords: program, Athenaeum, dynamism, symbol, culture, humanism
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.08
Authors: Andra Maftei
As cities evolve and reinvent themselves, historical industrial halls— once bustling with energy and innovation — now stand silent, enveloped in a raw, melancholic beauty. Their adaptive reuse through the creation of dynamic spaces represents more than just an architectural intervention; it is an act of rebirth. By integrating flexible and innovative solutions, these aging structures are revived, transforming from relics of the past into vibrant spaces filled with possibilities. Here, the old and the new coexist, generating a dialogue between history and modernity, between memory and the future. In an era marked by rapid urbanization and an acute demand for space, abandoned industrial halls have become ideal subjects for projects focused on adaptability. Across Europe, and especially in Romania, these structures carry significant cultural and historical value, standing as silent witnesses to periods of intense industrialization. This article seeks to explore how dynamism in architecture can become an ideal approach for the reuse of industrial heritage, redefining the relationship between past and future. Through a theoretical framework, the study will investigate how spatial dynamism, fluid forms, and functional adaptability can transform defunct industrial structures into urban catalysts. Far from being mere remnants of a bygone era, these spaces can be reimagined as multifunctional platforms contributing to the social, economic, and cultural regeneration of cities. The article aims to demonstrate that dynamism, as an architectural principle, not only respects the historical values of heritage but amplifies them through innovative contemporary interventions.
Keywords: adaptive, urbanization, industrial, flexible, space, heritage, dynamism
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.09
Authors: Silviu Medeșan, Ivett-Greta Zsak, Adrian Hagiu
This paper examines how architectural pedagogy can address sustainability challenges by embedding participatory and situated approaches in design studios. Current models often privilege individual authorship and abstract problem-solving, overlooking the social and ecological dimensions of architecture. The aim is to test how design studios can cultivate students as critical and creative agents of change by engaging with real communities. This research is based on a participatory action research (PAR) project to reactivate an abandoned school in Petrinzel, Romania. The methodology combined studio teaching with PAR stages of planning, action, reflection, and evaluation. Students engaged in activities such as hands-on workshops, focus groups with stakeholders, shared cooking, field observation, and reflective sketching, followed by critiques and final design proposals. Findings show that a situated learning helped students adapt preconceived ideas into context-sensitive designs, integrating traditional materials and practices with innovative solutions. Challenges included the absence of community evaluation and built prototypes, underlining the ethical need for reciprocity. We conclude that embedding PAR in design studios fosters relational, situated, and reflective learning, expanding both the role of the architect as mediator and the educator as co-learner, better equipping students to respond to ecological and social crises.
Keywords: architectural pedagogy, sustainability education, participatory action research approach, “clacă”, situatedness
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.10
Authors: Cristina Aurora Budan
The present article examines how traditional dwelling patterns in the Topolog Valley are influenced when a significant element of the territorial structure, such as the Topolog River, is affected by major infrastructure projects. Beyond the quality of the social space generated by the presence of water, changes are felt on multiple other levels of habitation. In the case of the Topolog Valley, the study explores the effects of existing hydroelectric power plants and anticipates the possible consequences of a new project currently under implementation: the Pitești-Sibiu highway, which will overlap with the course of the Topolog River for approximately 12km. By juxtaposing the small-scale, everyday reality of the valley with large-scale national infrastructure, the study raises concerns about the impact of the latter on a deeply rooted dwelling tradition. On-site observations, complemented by discussions with locals, consultations of village monographs, and official documentation on infrastructure projects, have contributed to understanding the situation of the Topolog Valley. The resulting picture, clarified by theoretical concepts from political geography and ecological philosophy, opens up a discourse on the fragility of the territory of habitation. Placed at the intersection of multiple overlapping territories defined by exploitation infrastructures, the Topolog Valley risks gradual degradation, not only from an ecological perspective but also culturally and in terms of identity. In the process of modernizing the infrastructure, an entire modus vivendi, with all its cultural ramifications, could be lost. This paper aims to highlight the impact of large-scale national infrastructure projects on traditional forms of dweling through the case study of the Topolog Valley. It also brings into discussion the cultural value of these habitation forms and the importance of studying identity- related aspects of the Romanian rural landscape.
Keywords: traditional dwelling, infrastructure, hydrosocial territories, shadow places, Topolog River
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.11
Authors: Stephany-Emma Trif
Metabolic architecture defines built systems as dynamic entities capable of growth, degradation and regeneration, being able to adapt through these means to climate’s constant changes. This article investigates the principles of metabolic design and architecture through the lens of speculative prototypes: a network of architectural interventions created as a global infrastructure that monitors ecological and climate changes. By analysing and adapting to the dynamics of unique geographical regions, these structures transform and react to the changes of their surroundings while contributing to ecological global monitorization. This article analyses concepts of adaptive architecture, based on the theories of Reyner Banham, an acclaimed English critic, Janine Benyus, a biologist who popularized biomimicry, Neri Oxman, a researcher known for integrating biology, advanced materials and digital technologies in architecture, Kisho Kurokawa, a Japanese architect and founder of the Metabolism movement, and others. Complementing the proposed speculative prototypes, examples such as the Nakagin Capsule Tower and the Eden Project demonstrate the integration of metabolic principles in real-life scenarios. Speculatively, the research relates to the visions of the Archigram group, where projects such as Walking City or Plug-In City explore the continuity between experimental architecture and new sustainable directions. The architectural prototypes studied in this work represent a personal project, developed during my Master in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Following a personal desire to develop and deepen this research, this article aims to integrate this system into the theme of metabolic architecture, exploring its applicability and positioning it within the field of architectural scientific research. Functioning as nodes in a global network, each prototype adapts to the specific conditions of its environment, emphasizing interconnectivity and ephemerality. Associated renderings contextualize these interventions, illustrating the relationship between architecture and its context over time. Using comparative and exploratory analysis, this paper investigates metabolic architecture as a multi-scale system of interaction in which prototypes function as active agents of environmental transformation. This architectural network, which monitors and contributes to ecological regeneration, operates with a logic similar to that of interconnected biological networks.
Keywords: metabolism, adaptation, regeneration, resilience, networks
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.12
Authors: Irina-Mihaela Moise
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the significant impact that stress, associated with physical and mental health problems, can have on employees’ productivity, work efficiency and mental health. In this context, the question arises as to how well workplaces are prepared to support employees in the face of these challenges. This paper explores the integration of salutogenic design principles into contemporary workspaces, focusing on how the architecture of workspaces can contribute to employee well-being. The research reviews emerging post-pandemic literature and emphasizes the need for healthy workspace design. The main shortcomings of current practices are highlighted, which, while pursuing efficiency and interaction, neglect the impact on health. The study seeks to translate salutogenic principles such as comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness into design principles that support recovery processes, social well-being or healthy behavior. The paper introduces the concept of spatial coherence, which promotes a holistic approach to user-centered design that integrates salutogenic principles.
Keywords: healthy workspaces, salutogenesis, coherence, user- centered architecture, office architecture
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.13
Authors: Răzvan Ionică
This article examines the evolution of bridges through the lens of dynamic materiality, tracing how changes in social, cultural and technological contexts have shaped both their physical form and symbolic role. Materiality is understood not only as the use of materials, but as the relationship between humans and matter, evolving from the symbolic constructions of antiquity to today’s digitally driven processes where matter becomes information. During the Renaissance, the emphasis shifted to structure, with the understanding and representation of forces and the behavior of materials becoming essential. Today, in the digital age, materiality is seen through the lens of event and information, where materials are not only physical elements, but also parts of a continuous informational process, allowing for new forms of interaction and adaptability. Drawing on Antoine Picon’s framework of historical regimes: proportion, structure and event/information, the study interprets bridges as layered cultural artifacts. Historical examples such as the Rialto Bridge in Venice and Pont Royal in Paris are combined with modern and contemporary case studies, including Robert Maillart’s experimental concrete bridges and Marc Mimram’s digitally conceived projects. This selective, interpretative approach highlights how each era brings a new understanding of materiality and of the bridge’s role in urban and natural landscapes. The article argues that contemporary bridges should be understood not only as rigid technical structures, but as dynamic public spaces, adaptable to their contexts and responsive to social interaction. By connecting historical layers with current design practices, this framework helps architects and engineers integrate past knowledge into contemporary projects, leading to infrastructure that is both contextually grounded and technically innovative.
Keywords: bridges, dynamic materiality, historical layers, contextual design, tectonics, infrastructure
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.14
Authors: Andra Panait, Bogdan Ioniță, Justin Baroncea, Cosmin O. Gălățianu
This article explores signage design through an interdisciplinary lens, situated at the intersection of architecture, graphic design, perceptual psychology, and semiotics. The starting point is the case study of the Branding UAUIM visual identity project, through which the authors examine the concept of the “dynamic space” — a flexible, interactive, and continuously transforming environment, particularly characteristic of academic settings. The approach goes beyond a purely technical analysis, addressing the architectural experience and the potential of simple visual elements to shape users’ expectations in their exploration of space. Perceptual dynamics are defined by the overlap between the mental image constructed a priori by the signage and the direct experience of physical space. The methodology employed for this research incorporates theories of spatial interaction and perception, with emphasis on phenomenological approaches and models of adaptive spaces. The research is structured on three levels: theoretical — presenting key concepts; methodological — detailing the research methods used; and applicative — offering case studies and concrete examples. The conclusions highlight that signage not only facilitates spatial orientation but also plays a vital role in constructing an iconographic identity of space. In the academic context, the graphic component of signage should not be seen merely as a functional tool for managing everyday mobility, but also as a means of fostering a sense of belonging and continuity. Thus, the article demonstrates that signage systems function as active hermeneutic mechanisms, shaping both the interpretation and the experience of space in a meaningful way.
Keywords: dynamic space, signage design, visual identity, minimalism, semiotics, semiotics, anticipatory perception, spatial mental model
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.15
Authors: Alexandru Iftimie
Liliane Wong’s Adaptive Reuse: Extending the Lives of Buildings is an outstanding scholarly effort that investigates the origins, theoretical underpinnings and practical implications of adaptive reuse in contemporary architecture in relation to the process of converting or reconverting buildings for new functions. The 256-page book published by Birkhäuser provides a detailed analysis of how built spaces can be regenerated and reintegrated into the urban fabric, capitalizing on their cultural potential as well as on the practical or cultural requirements of today’s society. This review will highlight the major themes of the book, assess the validity of the arguments and methodology employed by the author, and emphasize the work’s contribution to existing debates in the field, drawing upon established research methodologies and current scholarly understanding.
Keywords: dynamics, adaptability, reconversion, spatial resilience, sustainability.
]]>Argument 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.54508/Argument.17.16
Authors: Beatrice-Gabriela Jöger
Architecture is a field of creativity. One might think that having to work with an existing building would limit it. In fact, I think the exact opposite. Even when we build something from scratch, one does not have a literally “white canvas”. One has all kind of limitations. From the context, the urban regulations to the budget and client’s preferences, the project brief is full of constraints that the architect has to respect and include into the project. In working with an existing building, the “canvas” is even more challenging. Just as a haute couture designer is inspired to create when they see a particular fabric, an architect can imagine a variety of solutions for it when working with an existing building. Since the competence of the interior architect is limited by law to the interior of a building, it is most often necessary to work with a fellow architect, because working on a building, and usually modifying the architectural program, is not possible without adapting the exterior as well. But that is another discussion. After almost 20 years of working individually on a site/ building, the last few years have brought a different dynamic, changes in the diploma project process have made it resemble an architectural competition. Given a site/building, several students have to work on it in the Foundation Study phase, and then each one has to come up with a different architectural program and/or a personal approach to the building and the project. The recent experience of having ten, then seven students working on the same listed site and three on another site has shown that, with a correct and creative approach, different solutions can be obtained for the same site. It is obvious that some of them could overlap, at least partially, as an architecture program, for example, but, in the end, the goal is to differentiate approaches, to show that having multiple answers to the same problem is not a matter of right or wrong, but of being creative and innovative. The quality and the originality of the projects are in the hands of future architects.
Keywords: diploma project dynamics, interior architecture, different approaches
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