B- LAB.

BRĂILA LABORATORY - Alternative approaches to urban peripheries in a city with stagnant growth (B-LAB)

https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/b-lab/

Beneficiary: EEA Grants - Programme for the Promotion of Diversity in Culture and Arts within the European Cultural Heritage, MINISTRY OF CULTURE

Year: 2013- 2016

Project leader: Angelica Stan (UAUIM)

Partner: Cristian Ștefănescu, (Bergen School of Architecture)

Project team: Cătălina Ioniță, Mihai Alexandru, Ana Opriș, Andreea Nicoleta Bunea , Andreea Acasandre , Irina Pața

Students / UAUIM: Bădescu Cristian, Barabaș Agota, Brastaviceanu Marilena Virginia, Bunea Alexandru, Dobrescu Vanda, Drăghia Miruna, Dumitrache Cătălin, Mărăsoiu Doriana, Negru Ana-Maria, Rus Elena, Sălăvastru Stefan, Simion Andreea, Stoian Georgiana, Tănase Florin Valentin, Toma Andreea, Tornea Alexandra, Tudor Alexandra, Zaharia Cristina, Zloteanu Maria.

Short description

The project addressed interdisciplinarily an important issue for European cities today and is based on understanding the local context and the creativity of the inhabitants as having the potential to improve city life. Braila is one of the cities that, despite processes that indicate an economic and demographic decline, is the owner of a diffuse capital of urbanity, deserving to be discovered and enhanced. In the process of urban growth, currently stagnating for many cities in Romania and Europe, the question arises of complementing the top-down planning act with a bottom-up, inclusive and culturally open approach.  The joint project of the two educational institutions - ION MINCU UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM in Bucharest and BERGEN School of Architecture (Norway) approaches the city of Braila as an urban laboratory where, exploring and testing new tactics, micro-strategies, catalytic actions, punctual interventions, we discover the cultural-urbanistic value of those "marks" of local potential, often camouflaged in banality and ignorance, which are not subject to planning, but which can become parameters of local development.

The project activities were: 

• field research;
• 1 summer workshop led by BAS. Garage action;
• 3 autumn-spring workshops led by UAUIM, with community reactivation actions ("Brewery", "Bee Link", "I want here");
• international round table and exhibition at MNAC;
• publication of the project.

The workshops were addressed to UAUIM students of urbanism, landscape architecture and architecture and to master students in architecture-urbanism from BAS, involved the participation of professors from both schools and recognized experts in the field from home and abroad.

Results

Urban event: Brăila ACT&REACT

Revitalisation of the Albina tram station in Braila

Exhibition: This place is really good. Braila - 10 architectural approaches

Seminar: Good Places in Shrinking Cities