INNOVATION CENTER AND PARKING

Urban concept
The development vector of the project is to extend the platforms system of the theater ensemble from the 1980s and to reclaim the pedestrian routes. As the cities of the 21st century will place more and more emphasis on non-motorized and/or non-polluting ways of transport, it is essential that urban interventions promote this paradigm. 
Although the theme of the project includes an underground car park, the focus must be on picking up users with alternative methods of transport. To realize this goal we proposed a Park&Bike system with integration into a future bicycle rental network of the city, but also easy connections to public transport through bus stations in the immediate vicinity and the facilitation of pedestrian circulation to the platforms in Theatre Square.
The location of the building in the west of the plot leaves an open perspective toward the volume of access to the small hall of the theater. Volumetrically, the proposal is compact, displaying to the street a multifunctional building representative of the city and hiding in the back the bus parking and the access to the underground one. A glassed ground floor, with access from several directions, ensures the connection with the more massive and opaque main body that hosts conference and exhibition spaces. The withdrawn upper parallelepiped is a volumetric response to the stage tower.

Functional concept
Car traffic is minimally invasive. Bus parking is solved simply and rationally, so that they arrive behind the proposed building at ground level. This area is also the access to the service yard of the theater and here is the main access ramp to the underground parking lot. The bicycle parking pavilion can be part of the city’s bike rental network or simple individual spaces. The pavilion has access from the ground level. 
The above-ground part of the building, dedicated to the innovation center, accommodates reception spaces and public food services on the ground floor. The 1st floor is dedicated to multifunctional rooms, where one is double-height and has a capacity of 360 people. The 2nd floor organizes a series of exhibition spaces that can be used together or separately. The following levels are organized around of a central atrium. On the 3rd floor, the restaurant have direct access to a generous terrace facing the newly formed square. Floors 4-5-6 are dedicated to offices and their complementary functions.

Aesthetic concept
Along with the general volumetric conformation, the design of the facades is inspired by the details of the theater and the rest of the ensemble from the 1980s. A contemporary reinterpretation was followed, a capture of the architectural spirit, without mimicking elements from the existing buildings. 
The register of the multifunctional halls aligns with the cornice of the theater. In front of the folded panels, which can also be found on the volume of the theater, a grid of pillars is superimposed with a constant rhythm that gives depth to the facade. The tower takes the idea of ​​pseudo-tiled roofs on the existing volumes through the slats that define a slightly inclined plane.
Concrete surfaces with different textures can be found inside and outside on walls, ceilings, floors and on furniture elements. Wood and textile materials are used for acoustic treatments, taking over the idea of ​​textile wallpaper present in the theater building.

PROGRAM: “INNOVATION CENTER AND PARKING” DESIGN COMPETITION

STATUS: competition 

LOCATION: Cluj-Napoca (RO)

YEAR: 2023

COLLABORATORS: Sală Narcis, Negrea Daniel, Zota Andrei.