ACCORD Centru cultural alternativ - Beta Competition
Graduation projects

ACCORD Alternative Cultural Center

Project description

The goal of this project is to propose the interior design of an alternative cultural center within a space profoundly marked by industrial features. The chosen building is the old Dura battery factory, situated on Pestalozzi street in Timișoara. Regarding to its aesthetic value, the building belongs to the early years of the 20th century architectural industrial style. The space chosen to be designed in this project is located on the first floor of the building, including the tower. The total area of the space is 524 square meters. The central ideea of the design is revealed right from the LOGO which is located at the main entrance - “Accord”. The term originates from French, expressing a sonority resulting from the reunion of at least three sounds, forming a harmony. In a metaphorically manner, there is suggested the equilibrated blend of different art varieties under the roof of this alternative cultural center. It is aimed to generate a dynamic versatile space that is able to sustain the function shifts required by an alternative cultural center. The possible functions of the space are represented by creative workshops, coworking space, exhibition hall, presentation and small performances scene. There are fixed zones: the kitchenette, the bar, the sanitary group, and the fluid zones where the space is wide open and it can be employed for various means. It is proposed a system of mobile walls, that by their rotation, sliding and translation movements are able to partition the space fully or partially, as the situation demands. The new proposed elements are introduced mainly by using the principle of coexistence, thereby creating a dialog between the "new" and the "old". By the mean of the mobile system there is introduced a real dynamic in the space, but even more than this dynamic, the proposed project aims to double this dynamism by implementing elements that expresses a suggested dynamic. The suggested dynamic resides in the contrasts of different intensity that are created between certain elements as it is for instance the rotated square in the floor plane, which is opposing the orthogonal manner of arrangement of the structural elements. The lighting design has the important role in creating different scenarios of space use and also generates an appropriate atmosphere according to the required function at that certain moment.

Author's presentation text

Monica Similie b. 1998, Craiova, Romania In 2019, she graduated “Politehnica” University of Timișoara, Architecture Faculty, Department of Furniture and Interior Design. She applied for the Erasmus Mobility Program, following the courses of Faculty of Fine Arts and Design of Athens. In 2022, she graduated the master’s degrees in “New Trends, Materials and Technologies in Interior Architecture“. At the moment, she works for BLASER Company – Traccia, specialized in the field of architectural and decorative lighting. Andrei Racolța b.1973, Timisoara, Romania He graduated the “Politehnica” University of Timișoara, Architecture Faculty, and he received his MA at the same university. In 2013, he received his PhD in Visual Arts from the West University of Timişoara – Faculty of Arts and Design . As an arhitect, he works at ARTPLAN architecture o/ce in Timisoara and holds an associate professor position at the “Politehnica” University of Timisoara, Architecture and City Planning Faculty.