House Inside a Ruin

ORA was approached to reconstruct a fascinating ruin

We were approached to reconstruct a fascinating building. We found a house that suffered significant damage, a former homestead rebuilt under the communist regime into a granary. The house was looted and reorganised for another purpose. During the first site visit, we analysed its joints, niches and protrusions, discovering the original forms.

Despite its previous inconsiderate rebuilding, the house has not lost any of its grandeur. On the contrary, the way it is situated, the way it rises to the sky and the way its raw matter resists time, have proven to be of the highest quality. It was a ruin to the bone. 

All that was left of the original house was a brick envelope with a roof. Together with the building owners, we asked ourselves whether the house had a place to return to. 

Any attempt at a traditional repair would mean losing the original character of the ruin. Relatively soon, therefore, we rejected a speculative reconstruction of the original state, as well as any other imitations. We proposed to fix the current state of the romantic ruins and enter the house anew.