The Stack

• Timisoara
• residential
• 2019
• 2000 sqm
• proposal, work in progress

The site is located in the western part of the city, at the intersection between Calea Bogdanestilor and Suceava streets. The proximity to the city center, the easy access to public transport infrastructure (tramway, bus, trolleybus) and bicycle paths give the site a great potential for development. Calea Bogdanestilor street, with its wide cross-section (36-39 m for two-way traffic with double lanes on both sides and tramways in both directions) functions as a barrier between the two different types of urban tissue that it borders. This way, the Northern side of the street is predominantly defined by a mix of functions (residential, commerce, services, etc.) and a diverse height regime ranging from one-level houses to 10 floors apartment buildings, while the southern side is much more homogeneous and predominantly occupied by single-family residential buildings.

The diverse street prospect, along with its mix of functions, reflects the vitality of the urban tissue and its capacity to respond to growing real-estate development tendencies. Despite the apparent disharmony, all together it creates a pattern for urban growth, extremely flexible and suited to the specific needs of different time periods. After studying the buildings along the northern part of the Calea Bogdanestilor street, three different building typologies stand out, regarding the height regime: lower height regime (1 or 2 levels), medium height regime (up to 5 levels) and tall height regime (up to 10 levels). The proposal takes into account the existing typologies and combines them into a volumetric composition, resulting in a complex volume that fits and responds to its immediate context.

The Stack is the result of a juxtaposition of simple volumes inspired by adjacent buildings, generating space diversity. This way the volumetric slides create strong horizontal lines that relate to the neighboring constructions and their specific heights. A strong cantilever defines a covered public space at the ground level, stimulating socialization and inviting the passer-by to interact with the commercial level. The diverse positions of the lower floors create spacious exterior terraces, thus enhancing the visual communication with the city and the neighborhood. While these lower volumes communicate with the buildings in the immediate proximity, the taller volume, trough its positioning towards the intersection corner, relates to the street and the taller buildings of the area.

The building accommodates spacious apartments with openings to at least 3 facades, abundant in direct sunlight. The lower levels contain 2 apartments per floor, with interior loggias or exterior terraces where the underneath volume is displaced, while on the higher floors, in the taller volume, each floor consists of an apartment with a walk-in elevator and panoramic views. Because of the ample terrace that is formed, the 4th floor has a special status, which is the reason why a fitness/spa area is proposed here dedicated exclusively to inhabitants. The ground floor and the 1st floor are rental floors, for both commerce/services and office spaces. The facade has a simple and diaphanous treatment, which allows it to blend in better with its surroundings, and the playful vertical rhythm together with the strong horizontal lines gives the building more dynamism.