Archinect - News

Resilient cities How nature turned a failed communist plan into Bucharest's unique urban park

2016-06-15T20:00:00-04:00

The diversity of landscapes is fascinating. The northern edge is a meadow with wild grass, nut trees, poplars and elms, but venture deeper into the park, towards the three interconnected lakes at its heart, and the vegetation becomes denser and more characteristic of wetlands: various types of willow, Johnson grass and water lilies.

"The wild wetland of Văcărești is a symbol of nature’s resilience. Without human interference, wildlife has reconquered this abandoned lake and transformed it into a green oasis in the middle of one of Europe’s densest cities"

Miniature manhole rooms highlight reality of Bucharest's underground dwellers

2016-04-15T13:30:00-04:00

Borderlife is a street art intervention by Biancoshock in which three abandoned manholes in Milan’s Lodi district have been transformed into miniature dwellings. [...] With Borderlife the street artist wants to make us aware about the distressing living conditions of many fellow humans who are forced to live in confined spaces, especially manholes. He got his inspiration from the reportedly hundreds of people that are occupying manholes and sewer systems in the Romanian capital Bucharest.

Images of the BORDERLIFE street art intervention via Biancoshock's website.

Photos of Bucharest's past

2013-10-05T23:58:00-04:00

Andrei Pandele is emphatic: "The Palace? Ha! It is a wall in the way of the people. A dam, even...I was an architect...I could find plans [and] approximate what they would destroy. Not exactly, no-one knew that. They were wild, totally out of control."

Tessa Dunlop traveled to Bucharest, Romania and talked with Andrei Pandele, who as a young architect in the 1970s, began photographing his home country.

Zimoun + Hannes Zweifel : 200 prepared dc-motors, 2000 cardboard elements 70x70cm

2011-04-26T12:44:24-04:00

If you happen to be in Bucharest, Romania these days, don't miss to check out the latest exhibition piece of Swiss sound and installation artist Zimoun, "200 prepared dc-motors, 2000 cardboard elements 70x70cm". The 15x9x4.5m (49.2 x 29.5 x 14.7 ft) installation is a collaboration with fellow Swiss architect Hannes Zweifel and currently exhibited at the National Contemporary Art Museum MNAC.