"Bucharest that has never been" was nominated at the Bucharest Architecture Annual 2026

26.10.2026

"Bucharest that has never been" was nominated at the Bucharest Architecture Annual 2026, in the category of Interior Architecture, Exhibition Arrangement, Stands and Scenography section.

The project started from a simple question, put in the archive of the Union of Architects of Romania, in front of the original panels of the Bucharest 2000 Competition: what do we do with these materials? The answer took the form of an exhibition and a documentary about the city that could have existed.

Twelve unrealized projects, from the Bucharest 2000 Contest to the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Nation, Revolution Square, Știrbei Palace or Mihai Vodă Bridge, have been documented, presented through plans, models and 3D runs and brought before the public in an exhibition route.

The selection was not a ranking or a list of the most important or best unconstructed projects of Bucharest. There are many more valuable proposals than can fit into a single exhibition. I was looking rather for a starting point: projects from different generations, periods and scales, from competitions and direct orders, that would initiate a research and a dialogue about the city. I also chose projects that could be told, not just shown, with authors or witnesses willing to speak about them in a documentary. This first stage put the topic on the table, without exhausting it. The subject remains open to other projects and other voices.

Thank you to the jury for the appreciation and to the entire team that made this project possible. We also thank the architects who opened their personal archives to us and the audience who came to the exhibition, to the screenings and to the discussions.

For us, the nomination shows that the city that has no longer been worth telling about continues.

Annual Project: https://www.anuala.ro/proiecte/2026/312/

Site: www.bucurestiulcarenamaifost.ro

Cultural project co-financed by the Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB, within the framework of the "Bucharest. Together" Program 2025.