Conversion within the Historic Fabric of Brașov. A School of Music

Authors’ Comment

In the historic center of Brașov, the project proposes the conversion of a derelict architectural ensemble into a music school, transforming what is currently an introverted structure into a dynamic cultural hub. The intervention directly addresses the need to reclaim a dormant urban space, giving it back to the community through a program dedicated to education, culture, and artistic performance.
The project’s core argument relies on an intra muros architecture. Elements inherent to the historic fabric, the wall, the courtyard, the threshold, and the pathway, are not treated as mere physical boundaries, but rather activated as mechanisms of protection and mediation. By restoring the enclosure, the courtyard is transformed into an inner microcosm: secluded yet permeable. It acts as a spatial buffer where the bustle of the city is filtered, tempered, and brought down to a human scale.
An analysis of the historic fabric identifies the medieval wall as a spatial matrix capable of generating protected enclosures, introverted zones, and filtered pathways. Its value lies not only in its defensive nature but in its capacity to foster intimacy; its sheer mass becomes a foundation for memory, continuity, and architectural experience. Building upon this, the project reinterprets elements of defensive architecture: the narrow vertical window, the passageway, the descent, the portico, and the threshold, as mediating devices between the exterior and interior. Windows control light and sightlines, while passageways and porticos define gradual transitions, filtering access and pacing movement. The physical descent accentuates a sense of retreat, leading into a more profound and focused environment. Consequently, the spatial sequence becomes an essential part of the experience, through the interplay of exposure and withdrawal, light and shadow, openness and shelter.
Rooted in Brașov’s rich musical tradition, the intervention breathes vital energy back into the ensemble. The practice rooms, social spaces, and the intimate concert hall collectively form an infrastructure of listening. As a result, the educational process transcends the formal boundaries of the classroom, extending organically into the life of the community.
On a spatial and sensory level, the project is articulated through a dialogue of contrasts. A carefully calibrated tension emerges between the heavy mass of the heritage wall and the transparency of the new core: between silence and sound, protection and openness. Ultimately, the proposed architecture does more than merely house a function, it becomes an instrument in its own right, providing music with the essential framework for introspection, resonance, and belonging.