Thematic dossier

About writing architecture

Thematic dossier

Arh.Dragoș CIOLACU recommends
arh. Andreea Robu MOVILĂ

About "writing" architecture

caption><img src= "Architectural publications" at the Biennale. After a sustained campaign throughout the summer, the final gala was held in Iasi in October. It was a record number of entries, knowing that writing is not architects' forte. What was more gratifying was to see the competitive quality of the entries that could compete with the writing, hence the difficulty of the judging, which could have produced double the number of winners. The best were appreciated by the public and the press, for works that will remain references in specialized bibliographies. However, I have chosen to talk about architectural writing with someone who - I am certain - will win a future edition. The articulate phrase that captures the becoming of architecture from dream to reality gives me this certainty.
In the successive series of students who have passed through the school of architecture in Iasi there have been, from time to time, young people whose moral and professional profiles have become benchmarks to which we refer to in time. Andreea Robu-Movilă is such a person. I had the joy to meet Andreea during some events where we had a wonderful collaboration - study trips, conferences or the already traditional architectural MUST.

Dragoș Ciolacu: In school you performed in general, but it was writing that personalized you. How did you get started?

Andreea Robu-Movilă: Childhood preoccupations can have profound echoes in our later training, and here I am talking about the fact that I would never have believed then that my literary preoccupations, reflected in my participation in national olympiads or prizes in literary competitions obtained in the period before my admission to university - could be so beautifully intertwined with architecture. Architecture is born and lives through images, but the magic of the written word has the power to complete and refine the entire architectural discourse with a profound power of expression.
Dragoș Ciolacu: Architects write little and draw a lot - you do both well. Is writing for you a relaxation or an additional way of communication?

A.R.M.: Very early on, during college, I realized the potential of this inclination to enrich architectural discourse by realizing that a professional practice without an assumed theoretical position is not enough. In this sense, I continue to believe that in order to remain relevant in what you advocate and communicate, the profession must be lived both in its fundamental mission - that of edifying, of building - and in its collateral dimensions.
Dragoș Ciolacu: You have had initiatives that have become constants - the "Architecture of the Other" competition and the magazine "Arhi(pe)larg". How have the projects evolved?

A.R.M.: In my first years at university I had a couple of entries that stood out - one in the East Centric Triennale (the youngest entrant in the competition chaired that year by Juhani Pallasmaa) and the Berkeley Prize (the prize for architectural essay established in 1999 - aimed at students from all over the world). Identifying the deficiency in the curricula of all universities regarding the formation of a critical and theoretical mindset, I decided to cross over to the other side of the barricade and in 2015 I set up a competition of architectural essays for students and young people, which I entitled ,,Architecture of the Other: competition for young people with thoughts to the world" (www.arhitecturaceluilalt.ro) - supported by the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture in Iasi.
It took on an even more comprehensive form when the first annual architecture festival in Iași - MUST-ul de Arhitectură - was established and, year after year, the members of the competition jury were invited to Iași for the public. In the four editions of the competition, we have enjoyed the presence in the jury of personalities: Augustin Ioan, Vintilă Mihăilescu, Françoise Pamfil, Dana Vais, Anca Sandu Tomaszewski, Dorin Ștefan, Ioan Andreescu, Ana Maria Zahariade, Șerban Țigănaș, Vlad Gaivoronschi, Florin Lăzărescu.
The competition has grown in impact and relevance - (the community includes 1000 young people) - and what makes it special is the fact that it is organized exclusively by young people and is dedicated to young people/students from all fields, not just architecture. It is a non-formal education initiative, which aims to develop a critical apparatus among young architects, but also among "others", about architecture. In the last edition of the competition we had 93 entries, which we consider to be a success, because, isn't it?... architects prefer to draw. This year we will also publish the volume "Architecture of the Other: young people with thoughts to the world", which will include a selection of the best works from the last four editions.
As for the magazine "Arhi(pe)larg", of the Faculty of Architecture in Iași, I was pleased to contribute to its foundation, but now the initiative has been handed over to the students who are legitimately carrying it forward.

caption><img src= Dragoș Ciolacu: Are you preparing anything else?

A.R.M.: Throughout 2018 we traveled with SHARE Architects to the 10 conference locations in Eastern and Central Europe and got interviews with the invited architects on the topic "Designing The Profile of The Future Architect". Our editorial project collected 100 contributions which will be the subject of a volume to be launched in the fall. We believe that such discussions with architects from all over the world are particularly valuable and enlightening in that they provide a snapshot of the state of the profession yesterday, today's challenges and tomorrow's trends. As a continuation of this editorial project, we will soon be launching a new project entitled "Humans of Architecture" which will highlight extraordinary architectural stories because, of course, we have so much to share.