112 Coffeehouse
Targu-Mures, the Palace of Culture ensemble. Ground floor of the former Mures Pensions House, Viennese secession-style architecture, historic B class.
A facade divided into three vertical registers, preserves the old carpentry of the building and allows for a visible interior-exterior connection.
Both entrances are preserved and the facade becomes a mediation element. The interior consists of 2 spaces connected through a wall that joins the facade. The passage between them leaves the inner shell of the front, free. The access level is at the floor level. The rooms become a pocket to the street.
The main function and access is self-defined through the gauge and the room section. The first and the smallest room hosts the reception, the espresso bar and the rest of the accessories, a storage behind the retrobar and one with a level above, represented by the height of the access tower, veneered with wood.
With two established conclusions - the opening to the street and the positioning of the functions, the last insertion is a common functional element that connects the two spaces inside. Continuing a façade language and some interior elements distinct to the secession period - the walls' plaques, the different chromaticity between the finishes, the common element here is a simple succession of frames. These frames link the floor to walls by plating up to the bar with the stone and the rooms between them through a common finish. Mediation between the remaining wall portion and the "new" element is done through a series of panels painted in tonal colors.
The wall starts up as a bar, turns into a filter element between the central space and the toilet, and then finishes with a seat. In the center of the room there are tables oriented towards the public space. The finishing of the walls and the ceiling is textured, neutral, similar to the exterior façade.
The furniture elements - chairs, tables, upholstery, tops are made for this project and worked with local craftsmen. The proposed logo is an integral part of the design process.
