Bogdan-Nicolae Voinea Built Heritage Conservation

0778001

The presented building is The School of Architecture of Bucharest, built between 1912-1927 by Grigore
Cerchez. I have chosen it for the fact that it is a great part of my daily life, as my place of study in the last
four years. The building was classified as national heritage of the first class in 2004.

The first value to mention is the authenticity, as an essential criterion for todays architectural
conservation. There are several factors that helped the monument to keep its integrity in form and
fabric. In the less than 100 years that passed from its construction, the building was continuously used,
until today still, as the center of architectural education in Bucharest. The daily activity and maintenance
kept the building safe from deterioration over the years. By no mistake, there were interventions of
adaptive use in the interior, as the education system and the number of students changed in time, but
they were as less intrusive as possible, taking the choice to build another wing for further development.
As I previously mentioned, the building kept its use value throughout time, with minor changes in its
function.

But the values for which the building is mostly appreciated for are its historical and artistic relevance
that are indirectly correlated. It was built in the Neo-Romanian style, a national style, used as an
expression of the Romanian identity in art and architecture, and a social adhesive after the Great Union
of 1918. The monument represents in the collective memory the pinnacle of architectural education in
Romania and a symbol of the national culture. Being one of the finest examples of its style, it grew in the
public eye and was more rapidly associated with national identity and the virtues attributed to it.
Therefore, its aesthetic value supported its historical and cultural appropriation.

The monument was intended as a means of education in two distinctive ways. Firstly, the use of the
Neo-Romanian style was a deliberate choice, an intended way of expressing to the public the feeling of
national identity and a unitary, homogenous culture of Romanian people. This method was successfully
applied throughout the country, and helped strengthen the cohesion of the nation. Today, in the
present social context, there is a developing need for cultural identity that needs these kind of examples
in the public eye.

The other educational purpose of the monument became more or less irrelevant through time. In the
correspondence of the author, he argued that, in the artistic composition of the building, one can find
all there is to know about the Neo-Romanian style. If a student forgets how to design, he only has to get
outside and take a good look. So, we can find another intended valence in the same design, and, even if
students nowadays don’t design in this style anymore, it brings the building more to their hearts, raising
their pride of students of architecture.

In conclusion, The School of Architecture of Bucharest became part of the national heritage, playing an
important role in the life of the society and of its students up to this day.
Bogdan-Nicolae Voinea Built Heritage Conservation
0778001