T.E.P. Apartment - Beta Competition
Interior space

T.E.P. Apartment

Project description

Born from the beneficiaries' desire to build an enclave within their own city, the TEP apartment was brought to fruition so that they could feel like they are on vacation once they set step into their intimate space. Once the concrete structure of the housing block was built, they invited us to plan their new home, thus giving us the opportunity to generate our own planimetric proposal inside the structural frame of the pillars, while respecting the vertical eaves, window gaps and the access to the stairwell. From a planimetric point of view, the family dynamics guided us to develop 3 main cores: the living area - the common space of the family with a bathroom for visitors, the parents' area - composed of a dressing room, a bedroom and a matrimonial bathroom and the child's area - composed of a bedroom, bathroom and office / activity room. The three cores are linked by places that accommodate various complementary functions and themes thus avoiding to be simple transitional spaces, also providing continuity of the overall concept. Volumetrically, the excessively low position of the beams located at 2.30 m from the floor motivated us to find a method by which to mitigate their visual impact and achieve a perceptual uniformity of the ceiling. The solution was to curve the change of plan between the concrete ceiling and the beams, thus generating the vaulted ceilings that mark the places of the house. In order to further dilute the presence of beams and pillars, we used vibrated surfaces that help to subtly mark the transition from one function to another. Form follows function. From an aesthetic point of view, in order to meet the character sought by the beneficiaries, we chose to negotiate art deco influences in a contemporary & minimalist key, balancing the weight of pretentious materials with the help of natural oak wood and white textured / diaphanous surfaces. To avoid a garish effect by joining the two flashy materials, we paid more attention to their proportion and weight, summing up to use the large ceramic tiles only for statement pieces of furniture, and brass as an accent. Furthermore, light plays a very important role in generating several types of atmospheres, while exposing the materiality of the furniture.

Author's presentation text

Andi-Alexandru Buftea – 2014, Timisoara Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, graduate. I made my first steps towards architecture during my study years, by my own and trough different collaborations making contact with various architecture and interior design programs, gradually building my experience and portfolio so I can later develop my own brand named NOI studio. A brand focused on the rigor of project compliance, material knowledge, technical details and working methods of craftsmen - with whom we usually work close - but also focused on a personal relationship with our beneficiaries. Ariana Ţuţuianu – 2018, Timisoara Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, graduate. Looking for a possibility to work closely with craftsmen and beneficiaries, I started working together with arch. Andi - Alexandru Buftea during the last years of my studies, having the opportunity to gain a more pragmatic experience regarding various small-scale projects and architecture connected fields.