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Muzeul Ivan
Patzaichin


2024


The project is the result of a long process initiated by ‘Ivan Patzakin Association’, through which the association is actively participating in the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage in the Danube Delta, a commitment made to the local communities to find better and more sustainable ways of development.
Through the design and arrangement of the buildings, we tried to answer to this quest and create a place that is open, inclusive and functions as a platform for the community and visitors alike, incorporating a museum dedicated to Ivan Patzaikin, a multiple olympic champion, a coach, a local hero, who unfortunately passed away when this project started.
Starting with the constrains of the site, given its orientation and particularly long shape, and the functions needed to accommodate, the project evolved to incorporate two buildings: the pavilion and the tower. Through their positioning and arrangement, the two main structures create outdoor spaces for the public and community that are used for gatherings, concerts, an open kitchen, a garden, etc.
The pavilion, which takes inspiration from the local crafts and architecture, is a long wooden structure covered in reed and finished with adobe and plaster. It runs the length of the site and provides a succession of spaces both indoor and outdoor. The front part has a multifunctional space that opens to the main outdoor courtyard, next to the Danube. Together they function as the main community and public area all year round. At the back, the pavilion gets some small accommodation rooms for guest, an office and a library in the attic. This is a more private space opened to the garden and is designed to accommodate students, artists, researchers and other visitors that come to work or study in the Danube Delta on projects related to the association's programmes. In-between the two parts of the pavilion there is a transitional covered outdoor space, a veranda, that also accommodates a big traditional oven used for community cooking, gatherings and related activities.
The tower is a spatial and symbolic articulation for the complex, functioning as a signal from afar, an outlook tower for the community and a museum for the memory of Ivan Patzaikin. The shape resonates with the ambition, pride and perseverance of the local community. On the ground level, the structure is articulating the public front courtyard with the garden and semi-private spaces at the back. Vertically, it is a succession of stories about Ivan Patzaikin’s life, from childhood in the Danube Delta to the olympic champion he has become and the social entrepreneur, a spiral along the axis of life, a continuum reaching out to the world. Visitors are invited to walk through these stages and reach the top of the outlook tower for a view of its surroundings.
The design for the tower was meant to be an architectural and engineering feature, a technological achievement that complements the local building traditions. The structure was prefabricated from engineered wood in a specialised workshop in modules big enough to be transported and assembled on site,so to minimise the impact of the construction. The base it’s the only concrete structure that also functions as a treasury for the medals and distinction earned by Ivan Patzaikin throughout his life. The top deck it’s an outlook to the Danube Delta and the village below, contextualising from a different perspective the entire project.







Location: Mila 23, Danube Delta, RO
Client: Ivan Patzaichin Asociation
Status:

built 2024
Area: 220sqm

Concept-Curating: Teodor Frolu
Architects: Sorin Istudor, Kalliopi Dimou, Iulia Anghel, Ștefan Păvăluță, Georgiana Dumitrescu
Structural Engineers: Inginerie Creativa, Catalin Caraza
Mechanical Engineers: RENSO, Szeles Tofalvi Nandor
General Contructor: Terra Construct
Wooden structure: Glulam Romania
Landscaping: Nicolas Triboi
Art Interventions: Virgil Scripcariu, Olah Gyarfas
Exhibition display: Kaustik Shentzu studio
Ethnografic Consultant: Museul Astra

3D animation: Adi Brațu Photos: Mani Gutău, Iulia Anghel