... and the winner is

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of joining Charles Phu (Office for Architectural Culture), David Cash (Chairman, BDP), Prof. Irena Bauman (Bauman Lyons Architects), and architect Serban Sturdza to judge the Architecture Conference & Expo Awards. Entries showcased Romania’s best architectural practice across four categories: Community Projects; Restoration, Conservation, and Urban Renewal; Overseas Projects; and Young Architects. 

Somes Delivery (below) by Mihai Mateiu with Vlad Awls, Bogdan Vrabie Adriana Magerusan, Alexandra Bacanu, Marius Catalin Moga, Dan Burzo, Ana Felvinczi and Cristina Bodnarescu, won the Community Projects Award. Somes Delivery turned an unloved river-side into a vibrant communal space able to facilitate wide-ranging activities - connecting people with one another, and with the natural world.

The award for Restoration, Conversion and Urban Renewal was won by Animal Farm (below), and built by architect Vlad Barladeanu with Octavia Pope, Justin Smith, Ilinca Moroianu, Andreea Navarca, Andrew Nicholas, and Alexander Mantoiu. Animal Farm elegantly restored an historic barn, and in the process breathed new life in to a small rural community.

Nomadic Shelter (below) by Simon Bengtsson, Garigga Josep Tarres, Benny Kwok, Mihara Mardare and Piotr Paczkowski won Best Overseas Architect Project Award. A stunning, ecologically considered design, the structure is described as an intervention “to create a very simple prototype shelter for fire, sleep and meetings”. Easy to transport, the building system lends itself to reconfiguration and adaption, while using only two modular wooden boxes, which stack together manually.

The Young Architect of the Year Award was won by Bogdan Demetrescu with Oana Greece, Ioana Hariga, Alma Preda, Radu Dorgo, Andrew Lazar, and Adrian Mihai Ovidiu Mihutescu, for Urban Green Artery (below). The project illustrates understanding of the need to connect urban green spaces, and adopt a systems approach to urban ecology.

Special recognition was given to entries including Cerc Boldesti community centre, which brings together several sustainable components in an understated design that harnesses the potential and the beauty of natural materials.