Team: Constantin MEDARU, Dragoș CIOLACU 
Location: 23 Oituz Street, Bacău (RO) 
Built Area: 2500 sqm 
Stage: Completed 

The temporary headquarters of the Bacău Environmental Protection Agency currently operates in a relatively recent building, with a height regime of B+GF+2F (basement, ground floor, and two upper levels). However, the existing structure—originally designed to house the agency’s laboratory—has become inadequate, prompting the decision to construct a new facility. 

The new complex features a building with six levels (S+B+GF+4F: subterranean, semi-basement, ground floor, and four upper floors), directly connected to the existing structure at the ground and first floors. Dedicated to administrative functions and auxiliary services, the new facility encompasses a total built area of 2,337.10 square meters. 

The basement includes a parking area with seven spaces, supplemented by a semi-basement level that hosts an open yet sheltered parking zone with five additional spaces, one of which is designated for persons with disabilities. The semi-basement also accommodates auxiliary functions and is partially offset from the basement footprint—a spatial shift that continues at the ground floor, creating an expanded public reception area. 

The four upper levels follow a unified layout, developed in close collaboration with the client to address all administrative requirements. The top floor is designed for shared functions: an 80-seat conference room, a seminar room for visiting lecturers, a 22-square-meter boardroom, and a planted, accessible rooftop terrace designed as a belvedere. 

Volumetrically, the building expresses a contemporary architectural language, integrating naturally into the urban context and projecting a representative image for an administrative institution. The concept is monolithic in structure but articulated through a bipolar façade, defined by a central atrium and vertical circulation cores. The illusion of volumetric separation is achieved through contrasting formal and material treatments of the two volumes flanking the north-south axis. This axiality—seemingly divisive yet functionally unifying—is emphasized by the building’s interior opening toward the south, articulated by a governing horizontal angle. 

The left-hand volume, with its dynamic geometry and sharply angled corner that draws in visitors, contrasts with the massive presence of the right-hand volume, resulting in a visually charged yet balanced composition. Internally, this experience is heightened as the vertical journey through the building gradually unveils panoramic views of the historic city center. 

Both the interior and exterior finishes rely on natural materials and elements—wood, granite, greenery, and reflecting pools—complemented by extensive glazing, which underlines the building’s civic and institutional purpose.