Ienachita House

26.10.2023

Ienăchiță House

- the educational project that shows you the right way to work on an old house -

De-a Arhitectura Association launches the educational project "Casa Ienăchiță" which aims to bring to the attention of the general public a set of principles and useful information about the renovation of old houses, which are not part of the heritage buildings category.

The city is changing daily, along with its valuable architecture and historic appearance. This affects the aesthetics, but also the identity of the city or country. Building techniques that depend on craftsmanship and skill are being lost. We are losing as a society a built heritage that carries culture and history. At present, work on existing buildings, whether historic or not, is carried out in most cases without knowledge of the principles, materials or legislation in force, resulting in buildings being irreparably destroyed in the process.

There is a building on Ienăchiță Văcărescu Street that is going through the process of renovation, consolidation and rehabilitation specific to old buildings and is being used as a case study, which aims to put together a set of useful information for those who want to sell, buy or renovate an old house.

The "Ienachita House" consists of 12 video episodes which will explain both the principles and possible intervention measures, the context, legislation, constraints, materials and the correct techniques for interventions. These will be available at: www.de-a-arhitectura.ro/casa-ienachita.

Although the project is not a one-size-fits-all solution, it raises and addresses a number of issues commonly encountered in the renovation of existing houses, explained in language accessible to the general public. A correct understanding of the issues, as well as offering the right solutions for intervention, are essential to protect the value of both the buildings and the whole city.

The 12 episodes will have a duration of 10-15 minutes/episode and will go through the stages of renovating an old house, through on-site documentation, practical resources and interviews with specialists in the field. The first episode - "How we approach a historic house - about actions and knowledge" - had as guests Daciana Petrov - casevechi.ro and Ana Rubelli - aiciastat.ro. The host of all episodes is the architect Eliza Yokina, and the first video can be watched in full on www.de-a-arhitectura.ro/casa-ienachita.

"With this project we want to draw the attention of society and authorities to act against this abuse of what is, in fact, a valuable heritage and, more than that, the most visible element of a city's identity - the built city. We hope to succeed in inspiring people to better understand and act appropriately and correctly on buildings." - Eliza Yokina, Founding member of the "De-a Arhitectura" Association and Cumulus senior partner

The "Ienachita House" aligns with the "New European Bauhaus" approach which focuses on three important principles that define the built environment: beautiful, sustainable, inclusive.

For more information about the project and to keep up with the latest updates, you can follow the Instagram pages @casa_ienachita and @deaarhitectura and Facebook De-a Arhitectura.

This project is supported by the Romanian Order of Architects, which funds part of the Association's programs from the Architecture Stamp.

About De-a Arhitectura

The De-a Arhitectura Association is a community of built environment professionals and teachers shaping a better future through architectural education for children, youth and adults. De-a Arhitectura programs promote creativity and innovation and help prepare children for the real world. They take place mainly in schools in the form of optional courses, but also in museums and at architecture and design events. So far, De-a Arhitectura projects have involved more than 30,000 students in Romania, over 1000 teachers and more than 1000 volunteer architects.