Cyriped cases

Houses in the Air was a silent auction fundraising event. De-a Arhitectura Association's project was inspired by the idea of the KIDS (UK) Foundation, which in 2013 invited twenty famous UK architects and designers to build 21st century doll's houses, which they then auctioned at Bonhams for charity. They raised £100,000 and Ikea has announced it will produce some of the prototypes.

Before being included in the Galateca exhibition, the "chirped houses" were also auctioned, and the amount raised (€20,000) will be used by the De-a Arhitectura Association to fund the teaching of the "Education for Architecture and the Built Environment" course for 3rd and 4th grades, whose school curriculum was approved at the end of August 2014. The course started three years ago in 7 schools with 220 children and in 2014 reached 2,500 children, 100 classes in state schools and 120 volunteer architects. Details: www.de-a-arhitectura.ro

The Egg, Sparrow Plumber, Bird housing, Dobrogean House, Siberian House, Rollernest, Bi-rd, Hessa, Butucuib, Le Cuc, Ciripescu, Clopul, Nest of 11 elements are living spaces where urban birds (tits or shag, magpies, sparrows, sparrows, glasswrens or "any bird that can get in") of small to medium size, adapted to heavily built-up areas, can nest.

All 13 chirping houses offer different possibilities, as this experiment, which creates a unique variety of compositions and shapes, ultimately encourages children not only to listen to the birds, but also to watch them. The 12 architects and designers involved in the project were encouraged to re-evaluate the forms, resulting in innovative and imaginative concepts. There are no rules, which is why the 13 chirped houses are not just conventional nests. They are fanciful, "sophisticated", colorful, playful nests, precisely what architecture should be.

A series of components of the little houses, with identical features, are meant to inspire children, stimulating their primal senses, their exteriors or interiors are adjustable, they have parts that can be reconfigured, and the colors give expression to the outdoors or manage to blend them into nature.

From February 2015, the permanent exhibition, Cyrillic Houses, will be on display at the Botanical Garden in Bucharest.

©Silviu Matei