2 Câmpineanu, the First IN STYLE Reconstruction

Thematic Dossier

text and photo: Georgeta GABREA

The building at 2 Ion Câmpineanu Street is located in one of the most visible and most frequented places in Bucharest, in the heart of the city center, in the vicinity of the Intercontinental Hotel, the National Theater, the Dalles Hall, near the Suțu Palace - Bucharest History Museum, at the intersection of Ion Câmpineanu Street and Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard.
The current Ion Câmpineanu street appears for the first time approximately on the current route and intersects with the boulevard, in the G plan. A. Orăscu of 1893, it was called Royal Street, the name it bore until the first half of the 20th century.
The building at 2 Ion Câmpineanu Street was inaugurated in 1925, except for the 5th and 6th floors (the removed ones), which were completed at a later date. The owner of the building was Lieutenant-Colonel Gheorghe Vizanti, a person with a solid military career, but who did not distinguish himself in any way in the public life of the time. The building was a "report building" that complied with the alignment regulations of the boulevard and the Rue Regale, as well as with the provisions for buildings located at the intersection with the boulevard. The architect was I. Fonescu, a "diplomat of the Paris school", as the project's letterhead indicates.

The beginning

The current project for the building on Ion Câmpineanu Street is perhaps a first in the approach and treatment of an architectural monument which, through no fault of its owners, could have been destroyed.
The project was started in 2003, and the first building permit was granted in 2004, when it was decided to preserve and support the facades and to dismantle the interior structural and compartmentalizing elements. Due to the unsuitable supporting conditions (lack of space on the adjacent sidewalks), a beam on all levels on Ion Câmpineanu Street and Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard was retained to help support the facades.
The current owners of the building took over the building from the previous owners in 2002, in a very advanced state of disrepair. In 1998, the former owners had carried out a consolidation project following a survey. It seems that the project had been abandoned, as had the extremely invasive construction work that had been started. It was at this point that almost all the decorative elements of the façade on Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard were destroyed and the continuous balconies with balustrades were redesigned, in the sense that the parapets were replaced with reinforced concrete parapets with geometric designs representing a series of squares. On the inside, more diaphragms had been poured up to the 3rd floor. From the 3rd floor upwards, holes were made in the slabs for the diaphragms to be poured on top, but when the work stopped, everything was left to chance: from this level upwards, the slabs were no longer continuous and were a real public hazard.

Our project started at the end of 2013. 5,000 square meters (5,000 square feet) and a built floor area of 550 square meters (550 square meters). Over the years, this building has housed multiple and different functions, which led the beneficiary to opt for the realization of a design theme for a multifunctional building. The building has two basements, ground floor, mezzanine and 6 floors. The second basement combines the technical functions. Basement 1, ground floor and 1st floor are for the Collective shop, floors 2-5 were designed to accommodate open-plan offices, and the 6th floor functions as a club space, restaurant, café. The interior design of the Collective store surprises the consumer by contrasting with the exterior, as each level has been given special attention to detail, and classic elements blend spectacularly with modern and minimalist ones.
The restoration of this building to its functional parameters and its reinsertion in the long-injured Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard frontage was achieved by restoring the facades with the monument's valuable architectural elements, as well as by introducing contemporary architectural and technological elements so that the building can be used by at least a generation after us. In this sense, the contemporary architectural installations and interventions have tried to subordinate the value of the monument and, at the same time, to ensure the comfort and quality of the contemporary space. The tin cladding has been replaced with glass, and the bridge and dome structure has been replaced with a triple layered timber structure, which has respected the original volumetry and enhances the value of the interior space. From this level there is a beautiful view of the city and, in particular, of Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard from Romana Square to Unirii Square.
Through the measures taken during the realization of the project, the valuable authentic elements of the facades of the monument have been preserved. They were carefully extracted, those that could be restored were restored, and those that were missing at the time the works started were realized in accordance with the original details. The masonry of the facades was badly deteriorated, the mortar binding the bricks had deteriorated and had lost its load-bearing capacity and its ability to bind the bricks together, making it a permanent threat to pedestrians and traffic.

Its realization in its present form was made possible thanks to the great mutual trust between the beneficiary and the general designer (project manager) and an exceptional collaboration between all team members, who helped to overcome the particular technical problems and all obstacles along the way.

Technical specifications, contractors design team

Owner/Beneficiary: FF GROUP ROMÂNIA SRL
General designer: Capitel Avangarde SRL; project manager: arh. Georgeta Gabrea
Architecture: arh. Georgeta Gabrea, arh. Cristina Sternatis, arh. Radu Antonescu, arh. Maria-Cristina Răchitan-Gabrea, arh. Cristina Sîrbu, arh. Simona Dimitriu (Rusen), arh. Venera Trișnevschi
Historical study: prof. dr. arh. Anca Brătuleanu
Structure: Popp&Asociații - eng. Traian Popp, eng. Mădălin Coman, eng. Mihai Biță, eng. Dan Sinu
General installations: Addict Invest - eng. Alin Ungureanu (project coordinator), eng. Ovidiu Ganea, eng. Ioana Nisiparu, eng. Bogdan Chirasnel
Interior design of commercial space: Design Team Atena - arh. Nikos Theodorakopoulos, Chrissa Theodorakopoulos, arh. Georgeta Gabrea, arh. Radu Antonescu
Office access hallway: Capitel Avangarde - arh. Georgeta Gabrea, arh. Radu Antonescu
Project management: Vitalis Consulting - Cristian Gavrilă, eng. George Manea, eng. George Șerban
General contractor: Conarg AG - project manager eng. Horia Novăceanu, eng. Paul Ilie, site manager arh. Dan Gorgoș
Installation subcontractors: Modulex - eng. Ionuț Popescu, Selco Pitesti
Special foundations subcontractor - Apolodor SA
Sub-contractor for the execution of triple layered wooden structure 6th floor and dome: Tehnica Schweiz Timișoara
Sub-contractor for the restoration of historical facades, decorations and restoration of historical metal confections: BTM Proconstruct
Exterior lighting subcontractor: IDT - arh. Adrian Bălășoiu
Sub-contractor roof, glass dome, shop windows: Industrial Conex Ploiești - eng. Cosmin Popovici Titanium-zinc dome, facades: Acopero SRL
New wrought iron confections, interior wrought iron confections: Vietta SRL, Ploiești
Triple laminated wood carpentry, exterior and interior, staircases and finishing of stairs and wooden steps: Avrom SRL Piatra Neamț - Vasile Apostol

Sumarul Revistei ARHITECTURA, NR.6/2017-1/2018
POST-RESTORATION