The University House Garden functions as an urban sanctuary—a lush vegetative island embedded within the historic fabric of Bucharest. Beyond its role as an ecological refuge, the site is a historical witness. The proposal treats this landscape as a legacy asset to be preserved, enhanced, and adaptied for used for contemporary needs.

The design strategy navigates a series of intentional dualities to ground the spatial concepts. The project systematically addresses critical programmatic questions:

•    What is the optimal balance between the public and private realms? •    How should the site boundaries negotiate their relationship with the surrounding neighborhood?

•    What constitutes the essence of this historical garden? •    Which layers should be preserved, restored, or removed?

•    Where should the design lean towards (re-wilding versus formal landscape architecture)?

 

We propose a holistic approach that embraces the experience of the user and its interaction with the garden. Instead of creating a map of different landscape elements,  we propose a holistic  natural experience based on sensorial transitions and reinterpretation of the lost original garden. The proposal initiates a dialog between the plot limits and the surrounding urban fabric. By removing rigid boundaries, blurring property lines and integrating public visual corridors, the perimeter responds dynamically to its immediate contexts, making the garden more accessible and connected with its surroundings. From the boundary of the plot a sequence of natural experiences are presented where the new architecture and historical remains are fully integrated.