Thematic dossier

The spirit of a special place and people

You can talk about the spirit of a place, but you can't ask the listener to fully understand, to feel. You need to have been there, to experience it from the inside. We architects, Ion Mincu graduates, often invoke the school, its people and its spirit. A place in the heart of Bucharest, a large building with a historic and a modern area, on the new side - a tower under which is the access portico, on the old side - a tall massive oak door that today opens when generations of graduates of various classes decide to celebrate their reunion in the school. And, of course, the people, those who have been, who are and who will come here, attracted by the seductive mirage of architecture. Many of them being overwhelmed by the grandeur of the place, and in their turn marking their passage with distinctive traces and memorable events.
As I was saying, it is hard to capture the spirit of this place in words, but I will try to do so, nonetheless, by presenting my own experiences and feelings in the place where I have been initiated.

The beginnings
Those of us who ended up choosing Architecture each have our own story. Diverse stories that begin early, for some, at a young age, or, for others, near the end of high school. But we have all heard stories about what Architecture is, what architects are and do, how they are seen by others. We have certainly chosen this path seduced by these stories or by the students' diplomas once displayed in the windows of Edgar Quinet, by the freshman prom or memorable events that took place in Club A. Stories that told and still tell of a special art and profession, of an oasis of freedom inhabited by people who are different, talented, sensitive and passionate. You listen and are fascinated trying to glimpse what your life will be like as an Architecture student.

Training-initiation
That this place is different is also proven by the fact that in order to be accepted here you have to demonstrate that you have some important capabilities, without which your stay here would be short, torturous and pointless. Not so long ago, some said that to be accepted to Architecture you had to be talented, to express yourself artistically through drawing. It was true, but today, when computers help the hand and the mind, we think you have to be... different. However, then and now, the conditions of seeing in space, of expressing space through drawing, of being creative and innovative have remained qualities without which the door of Architecture will not open. To be accepted, you have to undergo training. The coaches are many, the candidates are many, and the initiation is long and arduous. As the accumulations become consistent, you begin to understand and feel what it means to become an architecture student. It is not by chance that you carry your drawing tube and your tee with undisguised pride, wanting to send an explicit signal to others that you are one of the contenders, endowed with special skills. I think these are the first signs of that free, artistic and elitist spirit I was talking about.

The exam
Emotions, passions and ambitions to express yourself and have your worth recognized. The desire to show everyone that what you've learned in training can make you stand out among the chosen. The hustle and bustle, the entry of candidates armed with tees under the access tower and the excitement before the results are posted. The waiting, the subjects, the judging of the boards in the gym. The display of results in the entrance portico, the immense joys and sorrows. All contribute to this unique spectacle and make the spirit of the place intensely felt by you, the coaches, the other coaches and their families and the teachers as well.

Welcome to the school
Fear and hope, eagerness and curiosity. You begin to discover your new colleagues, teachers, the design workshop room, the auditorium, the Freshers' Hall, the sports hall. You eagerly attend the opening of the academic year as a new initiation... Unique experiences brought together in a setting that you will gradually discover and love.
Another training for another performance
You have to go through 4, 5, or 6 years (sometimes more) of expectations, dreams, egos, successes, failures. And finally, the diploma, defended in front of an international jury. Here, during these years, you will make the most beautiful friendships and lasting friendships that will last after your student life is over. You will interact with teachers, colleagues and experiment together. You will choose your favorite designs and architects. You will try your own personal way of expression and maybe even have a recognizable style through your projects. You will learn to be competitive and creative in designing architectural space. Wherever you are, you will display your pride in being a student of Architecture.

Graduation
The joy of graduation intertwined with the desire to quickly begin a new confrontation in the vast fields of architecture. But also nostalgia, already thinking of the student years you have just left behind. You are eager to prove to yourself and the world who you are and what you are capable of. You're confident because all these years have made you realize that nothing you've experienced in this place will be in vain.

Return
Years pass and someone decides to reunite you n years after graduation. Nothing new, all the graduating classes do it, but always the reunions are in this place, the School of Architecture. You attend the speeches, present your notable achievements, but don't forget to state again your gratitude to the school, to the teachers to whom you owe so much. Amid tears and hugs, you promise that you will necessarily attend subsequent reunions, in another year, but certainly in the same place. A place all our own, which makes us each time, each of us, relive the special memories and sensations of our student days and to look forward to bold future prospects.

As a teacher
When you have been an eminent student, by tradition, you will be expected to stay in school, still preparing for an academic career. This requires passion, thorough knowledge and generosity. All of which you experienced as a student. At the time I graduated, it was a gesture of high appreciation that the school's leadership showed you, and you were deeply honored and grateful. Today, we are continuing the tradition and some of the awardees decide to embrace a career in academia. But the obligation of a PhD and the lure of major private architectural practices at home and abroad mean that some of the most successful graduates reconsider...
Once you have been accepted back into "Ion Mincu", you will do what you have learned best during your years at school or in architectural offices. This time, you will generously offer others of your experience, knowledge and beliefs sensitively interwoven with memories of the people and place in which you were formed. Surely it is these stories passed down from generation to generation that keep the spirit of the place alive and constantly enriched by new and diverse experiences.

Place, people and spirit
I don't know if my thoughts have been inspiring enough to sufficiently capture the spirit of this special place. But I am convinced that, reading these lines, any graduate of "Ion Mincu" will recall with pride and gratitude the unique stages, atmosphere and sensations experienced in the school. And today's young people who wish to become architects to understand that the "Ion Mincu" School of Architecture was and will remain a blessed place defined by people who are different. People architects, with high energy vibrations, capable of maintaining and enriching the school's special spirit.