SHARE Romania 2024: A Landmark Event in Architecture Concludes at the Radisson Blu Hotel Bucharest

The country’s most significant forum dedicated to architecture, concluded successfully on November 7 in Bucharest, bringing together influential architects, designers, engineers, and industry experts from across Romania and around the world.

Over the course of two days, SHARE Romania 2024 hosted leading figures in architecture representing renowned studios like Foster + Partners, Kengo Kuma Architects, MAD Architects (China), Nemesi (Italy), RMJM (UK), Teampannon (Hungary), André Pizzuto (Malta), and Petras Architecture (Greece).

On the first day, participants joined one of two SHARE Experts Meeting sections: Fire Safety & Facade Design and Sustainable Facade Design. In the second part of the day, the two sections united for presentations and discussions led by experts (architects, engineers, and representatives of specialized institutions and firms) on topics like fire protection systems for facades, suspended ceilings, and floating floors.

The first session of the first day was about Fire Safety & Facade Designone, and there were at least six presentations of innovative technical solutions. Emil Serb presented fire protection solutions by Aluprof Romania; fire protection systems for facades, suspended ceilings, and floating floors were discussed by Radu Vieru, General Manager of Proventus Solutions, and improving building security with safe access solutions was presented by Oana Andrei, the expert at KADRA.

Dana Badea, Product Manager at Alukönigstahl Romania, spoke about fire protection for glazed facades. At the same time, Alexandru Ciucă, Technical Manager at Isopan Est, taught about ensuring fire protection in buildings using thermal insulation panels. ROCKWOOL Group also delivered a technical presentation.

Interventions from beneficiaries, those who think and design buildings, and architecture firms complemented the series of experts in fire protection solutions and systems.

Presentations were also made by Kover Orsolya Maria (Syka’z Design & Consultancy), Mariana Turcu (X Architecture & Engineering Consult), Lilian Captari (U R B a N O F F I C E), Dragos Marcu (Popp & Associates), Adrian Zerva (STUDIO 10 M), Raluca Soaita (Tesseract Architecture).

Over 20 case studies presented and discussed as exemplary sustainable architecture projects, presentations on innovative technical solutions, an “Ask an Expert” session, and concluding with a debate moderated by Andre Pizzuto, Managing Architect and Design Principal from Malta, and Sergiu C. Petrea (Tecto Arhitectura), on the topic of “Advanced Building Skins” with two special guests: Javier Villar Ruiz, Principal at Javier Villar Architectural Designers JVAD / OCA PROJECTS, Spain, and Luca Aldrighi, Director at RMJM, UK.

This was, in brief, the agenda for the second session on the first day of SHARE Romania 2024.

Sergiu Petrea, founder of TECTO Arhitectura and Vice President of the Romanian Association for Sustainable Local Development, co-moderated alongside Professor Bogdan Andrei Fezi, Vice President of the Order of Architects of Romania. Petrea shared three notable case studies that exemplified the shift from efficiency to effectiveness in sustainable architecture.

Prominent guest speakers included Iulia Stancu from STARH, Sorin Istudor from Skaarchitects, Tsampikos Petrās, Principal Architect at Petrās Architecture (Greece), and Varga Bence, Partner at M-Teampannon Architects (Hungary), who explored the evolution of architectural design in diverse cultural contexts.

The day also featured a highly anticipated “Ask an Expert” session. Dr. Diana Culescu, Vice President of the Bucharest-Ilfov branch of the Romanian Association of Landscape Architects, offered her insights on the intersection of architecture and landscape design.

We celebrated Romanian architecture at every opportunity, and at SHARE Romania 2024 – International Architecture Forum, we invited four representative local architecture studios to showcase their projects under the umbrella concept “Blueprints of Innovation.” These were STARH, Artline, 9Opțiune, and AriConsult.

Under the title Public Square Recovery, STARH’s exhibition focused on one of the studio’s recent projects that revived the public impact of one of Bucharest’s most significant areas through conversion, openness, urban artifacts, and a green, sustainable approach.

Artline, an architecture studio based in Bucharest and founded in 1994 by Radu Teaca, summarized the studio’s activity over its three decades of existence, highlighting the evolution and diversity of its projects in terms of programs, materials, and scale.

The third exhibiting studio, ARI Consult, founded by Razvan-Ion Dracea, showcased a highly diverse portfolio encompassing various architectural styles. 9 Opțiune, from Maramureș, exhibited under the title REHABILITATED HERITAGE – PUBLIC SPACE RETURNED TO THE COMMUNITY.

 

One of the event’s most poignant moments was the SHARE Opera Omnia Award ceremony, where the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the architectural firm STUDIO10M Zerva, Croitoru, Medvedovici Associated Architects.

The award, handed by Florin Mindirigiu, founder of the SHARE Architects Society, and Șerban Țigănaș, honorary president, was presented to the Bucharest-based studio “for remarkable achievements in architecture and their role in developing significant architectural projects throughout their career.” The honor was accepted by the studio’s founders, Florin Medvedovici and Adrian Zerva.

Over the years, SHARE Architects has awarded the SHARE OPERA OMNIA AWARD to more than 30 remarkable architectural figures from 14 Central and Southeastern European countries.

Day 2 of SHARE Romania 2024, titled Inspire & Design, was filled with presentations from world-renowned architectural firms and an in-depth look at successful projects from across the globe.

Notable speakers included Luca Aldrighi, Director at RMJM (UK), who shared insights from his firm’s groundbreaking projects, such as Sanko HQ (Turkey) and Quayside Masterplan (Malaysia), both of which exemplify the integration of sustainability with innovative design. Italian architect Michele Mole of Nemesi discussed four projects, including the Palazzo Italia, created for Expo 2015 in Milan, demonstrating the importance of blending aesthetics with functionality in contemporary architecture.

Other influential voices included Dorin Ștefan, founder of DSBA, who presented Balcony Corridor Residence, and Laura Narvaez, Partner at Foster + Partners, who captivated the audience with her story about the New Slussen Masterplan in Sweden, one of Europe’s most significant urban transformation projects.

From the renowned Japanese firm Kengo Kuma and Associates, Javier Villar Ruiz, a partner since 2013, presented the new headquarters project for the technology company Bosonit in Logroño, Spain. We then had the opportunity to hear from Varga Bence, Senior Architect and Partner at Teampannon in Hungary, who presented the House of Hungarian Music project in Budapest, which he led under the guidance of Sou Fujimoto Architects. We also welcomed Giovanni Colombara, an architectural designer at MAD Architects (China), one of the world’s largest architecture firms, who discussed several case studies, including Quzhou Sports Park and Shenzhen Bay Culture Park.

The second day also featured cutting-edge technical presentations from SHARE Romania’s esteemed partners, including Şişecam Flat Glass, Aluprof – Romania, Isopan, Reynaers Aluminium Romania, Zumtobel, QFort, MCA Grup Romania, Proventuss Solutions, and PPG Romania.

Also, on the second day, four architecture firms from Romania showcased their award-winning projects at the Radisson Blu Hotel Bucharest. The projects had won across various categories at the SHARE Architecture Awards 2024. Ana Chiprian presented the projects from Empatic Studio, Cezara Țînțăreanu from ADNBA, Carmen Tănase from Enterprise Architecture & Design, and Raluca Șoaită from Tesseract Architecture.

Alongside the other finalist projects for the SHARE Architecture Awards 2024—75 in total from 16 Central and Southeastern European countries, including the winning ones—the Romanian firms’ projects were also showcased in a dedicated exhibition at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

We were also honored by the presence and presentation of Vladimir Arsene, founder of Westfourth in 1991, a New York-based firm and recipient of numerous awards, including two from the prestigious American Institute of Architects. The Romanian architect also participated in a debate on the “Future of Architecture,” which concluded the forum. The discussion was moderated by Șerban Țigănaș, founder of Dico&Tiganas, and featured contributions from Roman Vinoly, Partner at Rafael Vinoly Architects, USA; Laura Narvaez Zertuche, Partner at Foster + Partners, UK; Varga Bence, Senior Architect and Partner at Teampannon, Hungary; and Giovanni Colombara, Senior Designer at MAD Architects, China.

 

Gratitude and Acknowledgements

SHARE Romania 2024 would not have been possible without the dedicated contributions of all the architects, industry professionals, institutional partners, and volunteers who made the event a success.

Special thanks were extended to the Italian Trade Agency, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest, and His Excellency Alfredo Durante Mangoni, the Italian Ambassador to Romania.

Our gratitude also goes to our long-standing partners and their experts, who enriched our knowledge with innovative technical solutions:

Official Partner: Şişecam Flat Glass Gold Partners: Isopan, Zumtobel National Partners: Henkel, Reynaers Aluminium Romania, QFort, Aluprof – Romania, PPG Partner: MCA Grup Romania Sponsors: Alukönigstahl BiH, Steel Auction Market, Proventuss Menatwork Solutions, Exalco Romania, Bose in Romania, TeraGlass, POLFLAM, KADRA, ROCKWOOL, Agrob Buchtal, Joris Ide Romania, and Cemacon.

About SHARE Architects

For over 27 years, SHARE Architects has been at the forefront of promoting architectural excellence, providing a platform for the exchange of knowledge, and celebrating the achievements of the global architectural community. SHARE Romania 2024 marked another milestone in this mission, offering a comprehensive and inspiring experience for all who attended.