Reframe: Project for an Arts and Crafts Centre at Bánffy Castle, in Bonțida

photo: Alexandru FLEȘERIU

Reframe is the result of the Waiting for Revival competition and the workshop organized by the Transylvania Trust Foundation for the functionalization of the main body of Bánffy Castle in Bonțida, within a program co-financed by the European Union. We were familiar with the space, but the competition theme forced us to look at it through the eyes of a designer and we realized that the interior is so heterogeneous that adopting a unitary solution would be undesirable. So we chose to perceive each space as an entity in its own right, and to design the solutions in such a way as to emphasize the specific character of each one. We sought to provide a sense of place for each of the four spaces in which we intervened. At the same time, the theme of the competition called for interventions that would not damage the historic structures and suggested the use of movable structures and lightweight materials. Thus, a series of multifunctional installations and furniture objects were born: beds with storage space, storage furniture for tools with ambient lighting installation. Only the main lighting installation is suspended from the reinforced concrete ceiling that was put in place in the 60s.

Great importance was given to the design of small details. In the main building of the Bánffy Palace there are no joinery, so the first contact with the building is the lighting switch. We chose to design it as a welcoming object, inviting to be used and thus creating a connection between the visitor and the re-imagined space.

The main hall has a two-level height due to the fallen vaults over the ground floor and thus became the monumental space of the project. The still visible vaulted nares gave us the idea of representing the old vaulted structures through a lighting installation. Suspended from the existing reinforced concrete floor on the top floor, it consists of a series of lighting sources that follow the contours of the old vaults and cross the floor, enhancing the height of the space. On the ceiling, the plan of two of the old walls that supported the ground floor is outlined.

The only intact vault in the multipurpose room creates a more intimate space. We have chosen to organize a seating area, assuming that the specificity of the space will induce the visitor to stop here. On two sides we have arranged a series of small lavan seating because it is a traditional type of seating in the narrative of the castle. In addition to being a traditional piece of furniture, the castle workshop is currently refurbishing and selling old laviettes. The whole space is unified by the circular copper chandelier supported by a metal installation that follows the contours of the vaults.

The Arts and Crafts Center workshops are set up in spaces that are close to human scale. The furniture is designed to support the craft activities housed here. It also has the function of illuminating the space so that the dominant elements, such as the vaults and some of the walls, are emphasized. It is made of layered wood laid in a metal structure that provides the durability needed for activities such as carpentry or painting. The ambient lighting is provided by upward-facing lighting sources arranged at the top of the furniture, connected in the raster of voids that order the piece. They also give functional flexibility, allowing the arrangement of supports in multiple places on the panel surface.

The construction was carried out in a two-week workshop with castle craftsmen and student volunteers. The final result is the fruit of this collaboration. Many constructive solutions were devised on site with the craftsmen, who have a much better knowledge of the castle than us designers. An interesting example is the supporting structure of the copper chandelier, which could not be suspended from the vault because it would collapse. This created the installation that supports the object and at the same time defines the space it illuminates. In the case of the installation that recreates the old vaults, the lighting sources were to be suspended from the concrete floor with metal pipe. This could no longer be procured, so the sources were suspended only in their own cable. As the castle was not enclosed, there was concern that the structure would be destroyed in the event of a strong wind. After its execution with electric cable only, it was found that the fears were unfounded, and the old vaults dance in unison in the air currents, emphasizing the light and ephemeral nature of the interventions.

The Transylvania Trust's initiative to develop this space is temporary for five years, until a full restoration of the castle can be carried out, and was inaugurated in September 2016, during the first-ever "Metamorphoses Bánffy" event dedicated to the Bánffy family.

Project team

Design:arh. Alexandru Fleșeriu (project coordinator), arh. Péter Eszter, eng. István-Mátyás Tupper Máté

Execution:Bikfalvi Márton Bikfalvi Márton, execution team leader; restoration craftsmen: Lénárd Levente, Kovács Stefan, Nagy István, Botos Attila, Vinczellér Pista, Boldizsár János

Management:Hegedüs Csilla Hegedüs (president), Berki Tímea Tímea (program director), Adela Luiza Avram

Volunteers:Csenge Patakfalvi, Gabriela Postole, Györgyi Németh, Somorácz Miklós