Thinging Studio is an architecture office founded by architect Octavian Gugu in 2006. The projects vary in scale and approach diverse programs from a contemporary perspective. The office constantly strives to position the design discourse in an interrogative stance towards both the discipline’s models and the clichés generated by them, aiming for the rare position of innovation. The office consistently enjoys professional recognition at events such as the Bucharest Architecture Annual or the Romanian Design Week exhibitions.
Project description in English
The project is located on a small street that crosses the marginal and surviving area of the Uranus district, which was deeply affected during the final years of the communist period. The predominantly residential character of the urban fabric has undergone significant transformations since the 1990s. During this time, individual initiatives have taken advantage of new freedoms and economic opportunities, leading to a type of development marked by new, irreversible discrepancies. The southern and western neighborhoods of the plot, mostly undeveloped, will facilitate the ‘scale’ transition from Tudor Vladimirescu Boulevard towards the existing buildings. This is also why the project, situated on a long and narrow plot, adheres to the regulations of a PUD (Urban Development Plan) and the conditions of a previous project, of which only the underground floor was completed.
The building comprises 25 apartments of various sizes. The ground floor, open to the street, includes parking, common facilities, and apartments with private gardens offering privacy. On the upper floors, the apartments enjoy openings on three sides of the plot, while the fourth side, where the light courtyard is located, houses mostly internal circulations. This orientation is defining for the new architecture. The dominant facade, dimly lit, sets the tone with large, colorful windows and balconies. The fifth floor’s terraces break the building silhouette, while varying heights capture more light.
The repertoire of exterior finishes aims to balance the existing materials: metal, paint, glass, and plaster. However, the discretion of the intervention does not exclude the possibility of achieving an architecture with personality. Details emerge as you get closer. The balconies transform their appearance depending on the angle from which you view them. The varying orientation of the metal slats makes them appear either transparent or opaque. The subtle texture of the plaster is chameleon-like, reflecting light differently depending on the time of day. The pergola along the street, serving as an alignment element, becomes a dematerialized and very Cartesian threshold that subtly differentiates the ground floor from the basement, while casting graphic shadows over the entrances.
