Graduation projects
EXPLORATORIUM LONEA - architectural redesign through tourism and sport
Project description
We are in the context of the deindustrialization process in Eastern Europe, which affects mono-industrial cities by the tendency to abandon the buildings in the ensembles that once made up the industrial areas around which entire communities have coagulated. I have chosen this theme because i consider that the industrial heritage is a very important architectural resource that can be valued for another purpose. The project aims to preserve the significant buildings belonging to the Lonea Mine, the second mine in the town of Petrila located in the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County. The mine that is still in use, but will be closed by the year 2024, which means that the coal extraction will be stopped and the faith of the industrial building can be uncertain. The name of the project - EXPLORATORIUM - came from the explorative potential of the site and the context, from the possibility to explore the existing buildings in a different use yet allowing you to understand the first function and the industrial experience. Turned into a representative centre for sports, it generates something to explore for every age category. The proposal involves bringing in the sports activities that will arouse curiosity and increase the attractiveness of the area, both among the inhabitants and among those for whom sport is a way of life or relaxation. For this purpose, I propose a series of sports suitable in the surrounding mountain context, among which: climbing (indoor and outdoor), bungee jumping, zip-lining, hiking - walking or horseback riding, trail running, mountain biking, camps, survival exercises, swimming, skiing on land. Throughout my project I am trying to change the way that the site is seen in the context; to improve the existing connections between the community with the site and to open the limits of the mine area for the entire community and for guests, to make it part of the city life, enhancing the active communication with the environment. The new functional connections will include the old ones, finally forming a complex and varied route that offers contemporary experiences. The proposal relies on the functional convertibility of the spaces within the preserved buildings and on the insertion of new volumes that relate directly to the existing one. In my proposal I tried to combine the industrial significance of the place with functions that serve the community, to become a point of attraction for those outside and an area representative of the community.
Author's presentation text
I graduated from "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urbanism, born and raised in the Jiu Valley. Through the diploma project I tried to find a possible solution to an existing problem in the area. Passionate about architecture, object design and origami, I seek to understand and highlight the potential and identity of a place. I learn from every process behind any project, I am open to anything new and I enjoy the experience.
