THE MISSION STATEMENT, 2010

 

THE MISSION STATEMENT - 2010, written for the Diploma Project

arch. Radu Florea / tutor : prof. arch. Hanna Derer / consultancy : arch. Viorel Hurduc

"The architect and the city, working together as a team, a whole entity."

A beautiful dream, an ever unreachable ideal yet tangible through our minds, our ideas and in the end, our projects.

What is that fuels our desire for a change? What can we want more from an already perfecting world? The chaos, the agony in the things surrounding us are only in what we imagine.

Why to change then? Our meaning in this world – not only as architects – but also as human beings is to build, finish and then rebuild ourselves. I think it is a natural state of mind.

The architects meaning is sometimes to give shape to our physical material world and then to fulfill our spiritual aspirations.As professionals, if we desire for a better way, we must not wait – our example is the most important weapon in this battle we are ever fighting.

To change this world is to first change ourselves. Real change comes from inside, started and driven only from within. After the inside world is ready we can start the synergy between many inside worlds bringing the true shape of the world.

We, the small people, have the power to yield the weapon of change and to give the shape of things to come.

In my drawing, my school and my city are talking to each other, giving shape and birth to the ideas of a new world – working together for a single, united and most important : clear vision of a possible future.

It do not call it “the” vision, for it is only : my vision....

The architecture school in Bucharest, sometimes stated as an exquisite school producing a professional elite, is located near the center of the city, enjoying a privilege of being at the “heart” of things.

Why should we not take advantage of this superior positioning?

Our minds are usually set on fixing things as they come along, that is why we are only capable of managing change. Wrong. Architecture must initiate change, not to try and tackle small issues as they come along.

The enclosed type of thinking has brought up a fortress-like school, separated from the city by huge concrete walls. The ever growing need for space generated a common solution : addition. When there is no space left to add, we must think of out of the box solutions, and where is best to start? Yes, in our own courtyard! By fixing our own problems we can also give a heavy example for the city: public space approach, building in historical sites, politics, ethics and much more.

The university must open its doors to the city and not wait for special invitations, not wait for another to act in our place.

I wish to open our hearts and minds toward the city, to listen what it has to say to us and use this incredible pulse we are constant receiving as a neccesary tool for a creator.

The city has invested us with this powerful creative force – I think it is our moral duty to listen to it, before we want to give back.

Ideas about architecture are anywhere in this world, but the real valuable ones … sometimes are right here, in front of our own eyes – right in front of our own “architecture lair”, in the ever-changing and lovely town of Bucharest.

Perspectives with the project (done in watercolour) :

Below are some sketches for structuring the theory part :