Conservation of the Cantacuzino-Pașcanu manor ruin (Ceplenița) and the Insertion of an equestrian school as a driver of regional tourism development

Authors’ Comment

The project addresses the preservation and reactivation of the Cantacuzino-Pașcanu Manor in Ceplenița, Iași County, by embracing its state of ruin and introducing an equestrian school envisioned as a driver of territorial tourism. Moving beyond a localized intervention, the proposal shifts the focus toward a profound dialogue with the region's cultural, natural, and rural landscape. The site ceases to be an isolated enclave, becoming an active instrument for learning and territorial awareness.
At the urban and landscape scale, the project introduces a public square linking the ruin directly to the historic "Holy Archangels" Church, establishing a new civic core for the village and a welcoming threshold for visitors. From this node unfolds a comprehensive landscape design that enhances accessibility: a network of scenographic pathways guides movement toward the adjacent forest, offering multiple viewpoints that allow visitors the necessary time for gradual observation and reflection.
The concept responds to fundamental theoretical and practical inquiries: how do we intervene within a ruin, and how do we approach it without compromising its authenticity? The proposal prioritizes structural consolidation while honoring the patina of time, natural decay, and the poetic condition of the ruin, explicitly rejecting mimetic reconstruction. Consequently, the contemporary intervention asserts itself through distinct materials, textures, and forms. Compositionally, the new volume occupies the western boundary to protect primary sightlines and act as a calm backdrop. Characterized by a continuous horizontal profile and a glued-laminated timber pavilion structure partially recessed into the ground, it contrasts with the verticality of the isolated masonry remnants, creating an intentional void that frames the ruin along the approach. This building accommodates guest lodgings, equestrian facilities, and ancillary amenities. The experiential path is choreographed around symbolic architectural elements: a water basin reflecting the past and present, an inverted arch anchoring the viewer while focusing perception on the historic fabric, and a sequence of arches evoking the layers of time.
The direct intervention within the ruin materializes as an elevated walkway composed of glued-laminated timber and structural glass, transcending a purely structural purpose to become a curatorial apparatus of memory. Rising to the floor level of the former manor, it revives historical spatial memory; moving through the site retraces original circulation patterns, allowing visitors to re-experience the historic manor. Furthermore, the walkway unifies the isolated masonry walls, serving as a continuous threshold between interior and exterior that frames views of the outward landscape through the irregular openings of the ruins. The interior encompasses a memorial space and a quiet waiting area, while a new staircase descends into the vaulted cellar, repurposed as a dedicated wine-tasting hall.
The equestrian program infuses the complex with dynamic life, connecting the site to the broader territory through three thematic routes: the Historical Circuit (linking the medieval bridge, the timber church, and the Dacian fortress on Cătălina Hill), the Winery Circuit (crossing the Cotnari vineyards), and the Natural Circuit (directed toward the Belcești reservoirs). Phased across four organic stages, the intervention transforms an inert relic into a living landscape of memory, cultural transmission, and sustainable rural regeneration.