The changes the city has undergone over the years have generated a large amount of waste space without providing any response to it. These spaces are seen as shadow areas, limited, intermediate, in standby, marginalized and without obvious qualities. This context has prompted us to consider the status and potential of these forgotten and neglected spaces. Residual spaces, in the case of our project the inner courtyards of historical or architecturally prestigious monuments, assert their limits, thus demonstrating that the city is not a mere reflection of this harmonious image that urbanism tries to convey but are simply the result of the failure of traditional methods of urban organization that render these spaces without defined use. This raises new questions, in particular specific  questions address by society, questions that require new thinking and a more human scale approach.

The courtyards reveal themselves as tiny forgotten places, yet ready to serve, waiting to offer undeniable qualities to the city and its inhabitants. The courtyards of buildings deserve the full attention of their stakeholders – city dwellers, students or the administration, their nature being described in fact by their very inner strength, thus targeting a wide range of people who can use them.

These places act as urban laboratories reflecting the enthusiasm of all people to reclaim the city. Art installations, micro-architectures, picnics, relaxation or meeting spaces, all correspond to activities that need to find their place in a city that will continue to develop in the future.

Integrating these spaces in a network has the potential to respond to current social problems for which traditional methods have not found solutions. It’s about breaking habits and taking on these disinterested spaces, ready to serve as opportunities capable of reversing the trend. These micro actions – placing architectural installations in the middle of courtyards – have the advantage of adapting to existing infrastructures and making their disappearance a real preeminence. 

For more information about the architecture festival and contest , you can visit the OAR Iasi web- site: https://oar-iasi.ro/evenimente/iasul-isi-deschide-curtile