THE BEACON: A NEW CORNER OF THE COMMUNITY
Location: Dumbrava Vlasiei, Bucuresti
Year: 2022
Competition organized by Dumbrava Vlasiei
"Iconic" has generated, in our case, several references that are part of the "daily life" of several types of people: the naval lighthouse, the church tower, the oriental wind towers, seconded by the eaves of the house and a type of morphology rooted in memory collective. This collage reveals a dynamic that starts with a garden, proposes a wall, develops a large roof that holds all the functions and ends with a tower that announces the place. An iconic pavilion, easily identifiable from many points of Dumbrava - The Beacon. The structure is composed of prefabricated and pre-finished timberframe walls, with connecting and finishing parts in the contact areas. Tripan aluminum joinery is proposed on the glazed areas. Everything is placed on a concrete slab, fixed with binding soles and with a cracked final finish, with various ceramic inserts. The interior is completely closed, finished in contrast with the exterior, to amplify the feeling of space. Apart from the required functions, the tower can be used as an internal climbing wall and a corner of the functional module can be used as a community library. Also, white surfaces can be used as a background for projection and movie nights.
The sustainable aspect is supported primarily by the prefabricated wooden structure, with a ventilated facade, painted in natural red pigment, which ages over time. A solar panel surface is proposed on the W and SW oriented roof. All the water is directed into an extended gutter with a discharge tip into a water mirror, which captures the rainwater and can be reused in the maintenance of the exterior spaces. Also, the tower will be a background for a drinking water fountain, used by residents and visitors.
The proposal maintains the scale of the projects built in Dumbrava and the natural context, it mediates the dynamics of the privileged position and related external activities with the idea of generating a symbol easily identifiable by all residents or visitors. In addition, the interior spaces offer an almost phenomenological experience for users through DIY, simplicity and proportion.