Atelier MASS is an architecture firm established in 2011 in Cluj (RO) by a team of architects who shared a passion for projects that push the boundaries of professional practice. The founding members are Camelia Sisak, Silviu Aldea, and Tamás Sisak, and over the years, they have developed a team committed to providing detailed and personalized solutions tailored to each local context. Atelier Mass demonstrates the ability to work on various scales, from complex urban projects to fine details of architecture or interior design. With a clear vision and a passion for innovation, the firm successfully transforms ideas into tangible realities, thereby contributing to the creation of spaces that inspire and enhance quality of life.
Project description in English
The Bánffy Castle in Bonțida, one of the most spectacular noble castles in Transylvania, has a unique story, whether it's about its extensive historical past or its present connection to the Electric Castle festival. A new chapter was added in 2023 when, through the involvement of the Transylvania Trust Foundation in collaboration with the National Museum of Transylvanian History and the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, the museum dedicated to Miklós Bánffy, the last owner of the castle, was opened. For over 20 years, the castle has been undergoing a slow restoration process, with the interior rehabilitation of the south wing with its neo-Gothic facade, now housing the museum, completed two years ago.
Miklós Bánffy was a fascinating and complex figure—an avant-garde intellectual who was a writer, musician, playwright, opera director, book illustrator, set designer, director, foreign minister, editor, caricaturist, deputy, and art collector. The entire exhibition revolves around the multifaceted personality of Miklós Bánffy and the various "roles" he assumed throughout his life. The concept is marked by the idea of fragmentation, with Bánffy's versatility being explored through facets that reveal different aspects of his life. Thus, visitors discover him as the author of the great novel of Transylvanian aristocracy, the man of the theater who wrote plays and created sets and costumes for the Budapest Opera, and the graphic artist who illustrated books. This portrait is complemented by his role as a family man, part of the history of an important family in Transylvania.
Each of the museum's four rooms has a central compositional element around which the exhibition unfolds. An important aspect is the use of mirrors, which sometimes serve as a medium through which visitors can see complete things that are distorted in reality. Other times, the mirror becomes a transitional space between the reflective and non-reflective surfaces (fade-out transition), such as in the pedestal of the loggia or the platform in the multimedia room. The interior space of the castle, with its vaulted rooms, has been preserved as authentically as possible to be perceived by visitors on equal terms with the exhibition itself. The exhibits are minimalist, and the story is revealed using augmented reality with the help of a phone or tablet.
