Publications
How do we write about achitecture?
We consider research as an inseparable part of design interventions and always write, analysing the complex context within which architecture exists today.
Book 01
TOTALPROEKT. The Invisible Architecture of Modernity
The book TOTALPROEKT is a story about Bulgaria and the world after World War II through the lens of architecture. It collects years-long research and analyses, some of which were presented as part of the exhibition ‘TOTALPROEKT – The Invisible Architecture of Modernity’ held from 29 June 2022 until 22 August 2022 in the ‘Toplocentrala’ Regional Centre for Contemporary Arts in Sofia.
This book is written with the clear thought that one age is capable of reevaluating the achievements of an earlier age not only through the distance of time but also through accumulating enough understanding. The more complex and multi-layered this understanding is, the better.
Coming soon.
Publications
A benefit or a burden? How much of a great weight is a piece of heritage for a contemporary architect, a developer, and a municipality leader? And is it possible to have a Sir David Chipperfield, who was awarded the 2023 Pritzker Award, in Bulgaria? So far this does not seem likely if we are to consider how the case with the Ruse Airport in the village of Shtarklevo is developing.
‘When you are designing a parliament, every small detail carries a political meaning’ says the British architect Norman Foster when he describes his project for the Reichstag in Berlin. In fact the original competition-winning scheme of 1992 for the new headquarters of the Bundestag of united Germany differs significantly from the publically accessible glass dome with its spiral ramp that we know so well today.
The exhibition ‘Stefka Georgieva 1923 – 2004’, which opened on 26 June 2019 in the Ringturm gallery in Vienna is the first in at least 3 aspects. It is the first international exhibition dedicated to the work of a single Bulgarian architect. It is the first international exhibition dedicated to the work of a single Bulgarian architect – a woman. Also it is the first international exhibition dedicated to the work of an architect from the socialist period in Bulgaria.
What questions did no one ask the chief architects of Moscow and Belgrade during their visit in Sofia?
Autumn typically sees feverous social activity as a result of which two illuminating architectural events went by unnoticeably. In October the chief architects of Moscow and Belgrade, Sergey Kuznetsov and Milutin Folic, visited Bulgaria one after the other.
On 9th September 2021 the non-profit ‘Save Sofia’ , vehement critics of Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova, raised the alarm that Sofia Municipality intends ‘to disfigure’ the emblematic ‘Sofia’ Theatre in Zaimov Park for the cost of 10 million leva by replacing its limestone facade with high-pressure laminate (HPL). The call to action was illustrated with a juicy collage depicting the theatre’s characteristic facade covered in newspapers with a background of fireworks and a smiling Fandakova holding hands with deputy-mayor for culture Miroslav Borshosh.
There is one famous photomontage of John Heartfield for a November 1933 issue of the Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung (AIZ).
A courtroom in Leipzig. An enormous Georgi Dimitrov is looming over a small, hands-on-hips Göring, who is angrily spitting words at him. This montage addresses the Reichstag fire trial of which the Bulgarian, then a Comintern functionary and leader of the Bulgarian Communist party, was accused, but walked away acquitted and as a world famous anti-fascist hero.
Under the initiative of both ICOMOS Bulgaria and ICOMOS Germany an expert panel discussion was held in Sofia at the end of the summer – a forum for rethinking and reevaluating the architectural and monumental heritage of the socialist period. The idea for such an key panel discussion is in response to the need for an objective and professional review of this topic on the back of highly polarised and emotional political views and debates.
As it often happens with issues concerning heritage architecture, public dismay is most vocal in social media. This time social media posts erupted against a planned multi-million scheme for ‘Sofia’ Theatre in Zaimov Park in the capital.
The project proposes to improve the energy efficiency of the building through EU funding. Earlier this week ‘Save Sofia’ issued a statement saying that the project ‘…will see the removal of the limestone cladding from the facade and its replacement with HPL (high-pressure laminate)…’
In spring 2020 speculations proliferate in Bansko that the town will soon wake up without a bus station. The main concern for locals is the removal of a fundamental public service for the resort town. However, it is worth emphasising another issue – the loss of a significant building carrying the strong characteristics of Bulgarian postwar architecture. The bus station building in Bansko has successfully retained its authentic image externally as well as internally. Its demolition would be a substantial loss for architectural heritage from our most recent past.
A Diploma project from the Department for History and Theory of Architecture attempts to convince us in the architetural qualities of a utopian housing estate from the 1970s and 1980s and why its conservation and treating it as a piece of cultural heritage are important. Viktoriya Dimitrova graduated last semester and chose for her Diploma project one of the most fascinating and most dissonant housing estates in the capital. How should contemporary architects treat what was perceived as the most dangerous neighbourhood during the 1990s in Sofia?
During a recent visit to Varna, our correspondents saw that construction works were taking place across the facades of ‘Cherno More’ Hotel in the seaside city. Multiple signboards around the construction present information to passersby on what it would look like when complete. The ‘Cherno More’ Hotel in Varna is among the most emblematic modernist buildings in the seaside city built in the 1960s and 1970s. It is a multi-storey point block that denotes the starting point of two main pedestrian streets in the city centre.
In the last few days several media outlets and independent sources report on the demolition of the emblematic ‘Poltava’ cinema in Veliko Tarnovo. This news caused nostalgic memories among locals and gave rise to myriads of negative opinions in relation to how we conserve buildings that carry significance for our society and our architectural history, that are not formally declared as listed building.
Earlier this week Ruse Airport was unconditionally leased by the Municipal Council for a period of 10 years to the Bulgarian company ‘Airport Ruse’. The lease was given out without any public tender or competition and the development of the series of events unfolds in the short span between 19th and 24th January 2023. This rapid action is a cause of concern as Ruse Airport was voted as a listed building of ‘national significance’ at the end of last year. This was reported by the Bulgarian Chapter of Docomomo International – the international non-profit organisation for documenting and conserving the Modern Movement.
The competition for redesigning Dobrich city centre was launched last month. As architectural competitions are still a rare sight in Bulgaria, this announcement caused much interest in professional circles. Dobrich city centre is a striking place – it gathers layers respresentative of thousands of years of history, the most promiment of which consists of twentieth century architecture. A walk across the large-scale city centre, built for the Diplomatic Corps in the 1980s, reveals its significance, what it is lacking, and what the aim of the architectural competition is.
Can you imagine Sofia without the National Palace of Culture? The monumental urban and architectural ensemble is an indispensable part of the capital. As the seat of this year’s rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union its interiors faced heightened media attention. Low quality refurbishments and above all the removal of the monument ‘1300 Years of Bulgaria’ provoked diverse views in almost everyone in Bulgarian society.
At the end of last year the multi-functional ‘Festival’ Hall re-opened with a new name and a fresh refurbished image. Recently images were published on social media of the new facade system, which is not in alignment with the original architectural idea for the building. However, the original designs should not be underestimated. As one of the few strong examples of Brutalism in Bulgaria, ‘Festival’ Hall represents a synthesis of function, construction, and image – something rarely seen in architectural practice.
What better time for embarking on an architectural tour than the coming long weekend for Independence Day in Bulgaria? I have been longing to share with you the story of a fascinating corner in Bulgaria, precisely the story of Smolyan – the place where the architecture of late modernity blends in with the landscape of the Rhodopi mountains.
The characteristic atmosphere and architectural image of the city of Ruse is the result of a collection of architectural layers – flamboyant Secession buildings in the centre, modernist single-family interwar houses, taller blocks of flats densifying the urban fabric from the postwar period until today. Against this backdrop the Riverside boulevard is a moment of respite in the busy city skyline. This is a place where several expansive flat surfaces meet – the quayside, the silent, blue Danube river, and the Romanian forests beyond.