DATE: 2006-2010

LOCATION: Bucharest

ROLE: Initiator & Project Lead

PARTNERS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: Municipality of Bucharest - S1 / Metrorex /The Order of Architects in Romania / The Union of Architects in Romania / The Romanian Ministry of Culture / The French Embassy in Romania / The French Institute in Bucharest

TOPICS: Participatory Research / Community Engagement / Cultural Storytelling / Heritage Advocacy / Multistakeholder engagement / Local Identity & Sense of Place

Combining research, documentation and community awareness around endangered architectural heritage, CASE CARE PLÂNG / MOURNING HOUSES began in Bucharest in 2006 as a volunteer-led initiative. The project developed an online database documenting historically and architecturally valuable buildings in a significant state of degradation, at risk of demolition or in ruin, while using this structured knowledge to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving city’s built heritage.

Developed at a time of rapid economic growth and intense real-estate pressure on Bucharest’s historic centre, the project was among the early initiatives to frame the preservation of built heritage as a matter of local identity and collective value.

Completed in 2010, the inventory identified approximately 4,000 degraded, demolished or threatened buildings, including listed historical monuments, buildings within protected areas, and lesser-known constructions whose architectural and historical value contributes to the identity of the city.

Beyond documentation, CASE CARE PLÂNG pioneered a particular form of heritage practice centred on community awareness and engagement. It translated structured research into accessible narratives and public messages, making the condition of the city’s built heritage visible and creating opportunities for a young generation of architects and heritage specialists to develop practical experience in research, advocacy and community-oriented preservation.