Vlad Sebastian Rusu

Author(s) / Team representatives

Vlad Sebastian Rusu

Profession

architect

Collective/office

Vlad Sebastian Rusu B.I.A.

Co-authors/team members

arh. Andra Vlădoiu, arh. Maria Florian, arh. Mădălina Doroftei, arh. Anda Gheorghe

External collaborators

ing. Ovidiu Rusu, ing. Mihai Stănuș, ing. Cătălin Moga, ing. Bogdan Cristea, ing. Radu Cristea, ing. Ioan Apostol

Project location

Blaj, Romania

Budget in euros

19.5 M euros

Usable area

7600 sqm

Project start date

July 2020

Construction completion date

September 2023

Client

Municipality of Blaj

Builder

ACI S.A. - Cluj-Napoca

Photo credits

Cosmin Dragomir, Vlad Sebastian Rusu

Text presentation of the author/office in English

Vlad Sebastian Rusu B.I.A. is a group with a professional interest that is divided between the research and design of architecture and urban planning. Their projects cover a wide range of themes and concerns, from architecture and restoration to urban planning and urban design, with their professional work recognized and awarded nationally and internationally.

Project description in English

The chosen location is at the limit of the built city, on the left bank of the Târnava Mare river, on a site with a privileged opening to the water and which enjoys the vicinity of an existing sports base. By design, the hall with a capacity of almost 2000 seats aimed to respond to the constraints related to a low investment budget and the limited area of land available. Therefore, the solution proposes a compact, neutral volume, whose only formal gesture is the intermediation of the building's relationship with the Târnava Mare river through a high portico, behind which the main reception hall is arranged, generously glazed and arranged on two levels. The gesture of creating intermediation and openness between the new public building and the water references the Bethlen Castle in Sânmiclauș, located a few kilometers away, whose elegant loggias facilitate an intimate connection with the river. Considering the main direction of visiting the building and the need for public access to an intermediate level in the hall, an embankment with a smooth slope is proposed on the long side, which becomes a natural grandstand for the outdoor sports field in the vicinity. Thus, during the summer, this slope is used by supporters during various local sports competitions. Otherwise, the building clearly responds to the accessibility requirements of different categories of users, proposing a functional scheme with the game room in the middle, served by circulations and foyers that communicate with each other on the above-ground levels. The building is divided into three levels, two above ground and one partially underground, the latter housing the changing rooms and the complementary functions of the gym and the sports program. The fact that funds for the investment were limited represented a challenge in setting the objectives for this project, whose priority was obtaining a flexible and functionally efficient building, at the expense of novel architectural gestures. Therefore, the solution follows the choice of efficient constructive systems with abstinence: prefabricated concrete elements at the seat rows level, simple metal structures of the roof, and perimeter closings made of heat-insulating panels. Thus, the project builds an external image of restrained elegance, which is enhanced by the rhythm of a metal triforium whose shadow creates a visual dynamic of the facades.