Gateway to art: a project by 9 Optiune.

The Romanian architecture firm, 9 Optiune designed the pavilion marking access to the complex called “Colonia pictorilor”, an artists’ colony established in the late 19th century in Baia Mare, a city located in the Eastern Carpathians.



Baia Mare is a long-established Romanian mining town in the Gutai mountains, with an important historical centre that offers an array of architecture ranging from medieval through to art nouveau.



More than one hundred years ago it became the gathering place for a summer artists’ colony. Very soon, the summer holiday homes were turned into permanent residences and studios, establishing what is considered the oldest school of painting in Romania.



Still now, the “Colonia pictorilor” is dedicated to the Fine Arts and the pavilion created by the architects from 9 Optiune marks entryway into this area, a transition between the public space and the area dedicated to artistic production.



The rectangular-shaped building stands like a sculpture at the pedestrian access: an invitation to step into the territory.





The materials – bare concrete, grooved with deep scratches on the outside that increase the sculptural look of the micro-architecture, metal and glass – are used in a composition that is at the same time open and closed.



The continuous flow between interior and exterior makes it easier for the pavilion to fit into the setting and whets the curiosity of passersby. Here, architecture becomes a harbinger of Fine Arts.

Project: Design team 9 Optiune, http://www.9.optiune.ro
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Year: 2012
Gallery: Courtesy of Laura Teodora Ghinea and Mihai Dan Mustea