Conversion and Extension of the Radák-Brukenthal Noble Ensemble in Micasasa, Sibiu County. Socio-Medical Residential Center for Elderly People

Authors’ Comment

Diploma Project – Socio-Medical Residential Center for the Elderly proposes a coherent synthesis of multiple architectural typologies adapted to the chosen program, bringing together:
• the linear structure – corridor – the spine,
• the radial structure – collective spaces – the piazza,
• the enclosed structure – inner courtyard - the garden-room,
• the pavilion structure – the household.
Located in the center of the village of Micăsasa, Sibiu County, the project is developed in the immediate vicinity of the historical Radák–Brukenthal ensemble, drawing on its relationship with the built context and the memory of the site.
The enclosed structure plays a crucial role in integrating the architecture into the existing fabric while fostering a sense of intimacy, safety, and belonging. The building is organized around a courtyard that recalls the former manor garden, now lost. The proposed garden encourages movement, interaction, and socialization, offering both functional and visual diversity. The former reception courtyard of the historical ensemble is reimagined as a semi-public space, accommodating shared public services such as a shop, hair salon, and tourist center.
The pavilion, positioned between the manor and the barn, houses a day center open to both the elderly residents and the village's children or seniors. The barn, reconfigured as a multifunctional hall, becomes a venue for local events. The manor–pavilion–barn sequence functions as a buffer zone between the “extroverted” inner courtyard, open to the public, and the “introverted” residential courtyard, ensuring privacy and safety for the elderly. Medical offices are strategically placed in the northern wing, with separate exterior access, allowing use by the wider local senior population.
Often associated with institutional character, the corridor is reimagined here as a unifying space that enhances community dynamics and functional efficiency. In the western wing, the corridor opens in a “V” shape, generating a central node that accommodates shared services and collective spaces. Circulation rhythm is enriched by clustered doors in customizable niches, reinforcing a sense of identity and intimacy.
Accommodation units are grouped into three “households” each with a shared space and small kitchen, dispersed along the corridor. This layout offers varied perspectives and supports communal living. The households are differentiated volumetrically, reducing the visual impact of the building and allowing them to be perceived as a series of “houses” connected by a common path, inspired by the region's traditional porch.
Unlike radial layouts that concentrate all collective spaces centrally, this project proposes their strategic dispersion along corridor junctions, ensuring accessibility, variety, and a strong connection to the outdoors.
The proposed architecture offers an empathetic, flexible, and deeply human framework for living and care, supporting the dignity and autonomy of the elderly. The entire ensemble plays an active role in revitalizing local community life, strengthening social bonds, and nurturing a sense of belonging. Simultaneously, the site's memory is reactivated through the restoration of the historic ensemble, which becomes a living heritage resource, seamlessly integrated into daily life and placed in the service of the community.