Large-scale construction works and their impact on Romania's still unspoiled traditional culture

A lot has been built in Romania in the more than 30 years that have passed since the outbreak of the anti-communist Revolution. However, and more often than not, construction works were carried chaotically, at once being blatantly misplaced, as tall apartment blocks were built in private residence districts, new constructions cropped up nearby listed, historical buildings, or shapes and colours, randomly chosen, simply took hold of the architecture of an area. The disorder caused by all that is simply exhausting. Whether we speak about the urban areas or the rural regions, the architectural chaos has mainly been generated by the lack of a clear-cut system of standards in the construction sector. Not to mentioned the fact that the authorities in right turned a blind eye on the serious abnormalities perpetrated on the ground.

That being said, we invite you to meet the initiators of the project themed Upstream Topolog river, Cristina and Paul Budan. For one year running, the project's stated aim was to undertake a study period, prior to preservation, of the vernacular architecture of the southern part of Arges County's Topolog river's upstream segment.

Why? Because a highway is soon to cross the region. Notwithstanding, the Budan family would like that, at least for that particular segment, the good points of the technical progress should not have a negative impact on the specificity of the area. And, if that may not also be possible, at least the locals' centuries-old way of life should be registered for posterity.

Cristina Budan is a teaching assistant with the Faculty of Architecture as part of the Bucharest-based Ion Mincu University. She has been explaining what the Upstream Topolog River project actually meant:

 ʺThe project sought to map the entire upper part of the Topolog river valley, in a bid to see what could be preserved of that traditional architecture and attempt to carry a documentation of the valley, to keep as much info as possible on that particular type of architecture, given that a highway segment will cross the area. The Cornetu-Tigveni segment will cut through the valley, and everything will change, most likely, as soon as that happens. As we speak, the valley is rather quiet, as there is no major roadway to cross it so it has been preserved in a very good condition, traditional architecture was easy to preserve in the area as well. Infrastructure changes will surely alter the structure of the villages, the development of the region, therefore it will also have its impact on the built heritage".

What experiences, what revelations did the volunteers have, who worked in large numbers for the mapping of the upper part of Topolog River Valley?

Cristina Budan once again.

ʺAs I've said before, there is no major road to cross the valley, to cut it through, so it has its own peace and quiet, it does have its autonomy. What's most interesting is that it functions as a whole, it is closely-knit and living in that valley is something beautiful, it is intertwined, since the locals there are owners of the house, the pasture, the meadow land and through their daily activities, they somehow keep the place together. That's what we first liked very much about it! Then there are lots of hypostases of the valley. The roads are spectacular, especially when you start losing yourself in the lateral hills, the experience is very beautiful, that of crossing the valley and how you get to reach those houses. And we found very beautiful houses, they were hard to include into categories, we even had our difficulties trying to trace several clear-cut typologies, since they are so varied in terms of expression, so that was really difficult. We ran into very beautiful, porch houses, of that classic typology we all associate with traditional architecture, but we also ran into walled houses with very elaborate plastering, with very refined, complex roofs...well, it's all about a very rich expression we don't seem to pay heed to, unfortunately. It is very important for us to keep a database of all we have now and the way the valley functions, together with those houses, which are expressions of the place, after all. And we were also interested in creating a database with the various expressions of those houses, what shapes those houses can take, so that we can see howe much variety is, in fact, in the local architecture. "

For Paul Budan, "The Upstream Topolog river" project has, apart from its practical importance, a psychological importance as well. A Bucharest city-dweller as he may be, Paul Budan has its family roots in that valley. He spends his summers there,  actually, and it is not at all indifferent to him how the area will look like, after the highway will have been built.  

ʺIt is hard to imagine such a transformation. In a couple of years' time the valley will most likely be a huge construction site, but, when the highway is completed, and if possible, with the help of the authorities, it will develop harmoniously, we hope, ideally speaking, also taking into account the specialists' opinion...maybe the reconditioning of the river banks, maybe the reconstruction of certain pathways, of certain little bridges, maybe the proposal of several local constructions, that also including buildings which can be put to good use for the highway - parking areas, hotels, guesthouses - which somehow can preserve the architectural specificity, at once preserving a coherence of the valley. With the help pf the project, we believe we could open a dialogue or we can bring together the local authorities and the high-level ones, so that a dialogue proper can be initiated to that end, and together, they can build the valley harmoniously, naturally. We hope we could influence that valley for the better or have a beneficial intervention in that process of change."

That outcome would be an ideal one, by all means. But if that may not be the case, unfortunately, the outcome of Cristina and Paul Budan's initiative will be an exceptional work, where joining the two were also in the Architects' Order in Romania, the Village Museum in Bucharest, the Vine and Tree Growing Museum in Golesti, Arges County, but also specialists in history, sociology, geography, landscaping or volunteer workers, mostly student-architects, but also architects who are on the job already. The results of their works can be visited at petopologinsus.ro, on the project's Facebook page, but mainly in a book of an exceptional quality, content and design-wise, a book which is always impressive in terms of size. 

"We're well aware of the fact that modernization is something necessary, we all want that to happen and the infrastructure projects are necessary, we all know that. In a separate move, the way things are being done matters a lot. First of all, the infrastructure project needs to be implemented there with utmost care so that it should not dent the future development of the region. What we do hope for, though, is for the project to come up with that promised well-being and not take more than it could offer, from that particular place.". These were the final words of Cristina Brudan, a teaching assistant with the Faculty of Architecture in Bucharest. We all want progress, but that should not happen at all costs.

(EN)