The Ruin - Space for Architectural Experiment

There is a specific type of constructions (fragments or nonfunctional buildings), that can represent an occasion for experimenting with structures, materials, techniques and approach attitudes. For this one can use unclassified ruins, with some architectural interest, or B-type monuments, that have suffered significant damage.

I will very shortly present 3 examples of unclassified buildings, now ruins or nonfunctional - the Economu mansion, the church from Vladimiri and the church from Vogna - all from the 19th century, from the municipality of Goiesti, Dolj county, that represent opportunities of experiment, detailing the last one, where, as part of a 5th year academic project, I proposed a protective structure from lamellar wood, metal and glass, taking the landscape and climate particularities into account . This structure protects the ruin from weather and main winds on the North-South direction, allows for good view of the architectural details at all levels, through a circular ramp, leaving the silhouette of the church visible from the main access road - significant view direction - and creates a high point for observation through a bell tower.

The main target was to keep the ruin in the condition it was first identified, as it is present in the collective memory and as it shows on it the signs of time and events passing by. The fact that the ruin - unclassified - is already strongly affected by the passing of time, has small dimensions and doesn't show exceptional volumetric particularities has allowed for a great freedom of expression of the experimental structure, that tried to treat the church as if it were a monument in terms of non-intrusion and reversibility of the intervention. I consider that, through such attempts, solutions and principles can be found, to apply them on classified monuments, of greater architectural significance.