Architect Alexander Vasilev and the team at VA Studio, who are designing the new look of the old school in the village of Golyama Zhelyazna
They are a young team of experts in the field of architecture with a keen sense of humor. Colleagues and friends, united by their desire to develop their own style and sign not only private projects but also those with public significance. The "Sharena Fabrika" project has been part of VA Studio's portfolio for a year, but it has lived in the hearts of several team members since the time they worked on their theses. Despite being strongly discouraged by professors and colleagues, they decided to graduate with topics related to public and school buildings, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage. Contrary to logic and negative trends of school closures in the country, architect Rumyana Pavlitova's thesis was the first, but not the last time she designed a school building, and architect Vladislav Mihaylov graduated with a project for the restoration and conversion of a hunting lodge. Several years later, as part of the VA Studio team, they, along with the other architects, are literally drawing the path, classrooms, kitchens, corridors, and workshops of the future International School for Culinary Arts and Traditional Crafts in the village of Golyama Zhelyazna.
The unifier of this team of professionals and the chief steward of the project is architect Alexander Vasilev. Together with his father, architect Emil Vasilev, he founded VA Studio, and he gently clarifies that VA stands for "Vasilev Architects" rather than "Vasilev Alexander."
In our desire to tell you a bit about everyone who identifies with our initiative and contributes to the realization of the "Sharena Fabrika" project, we decided to talk to him - about the architecture of cities and the stories they hold, about what it means to intervene in the work of a colleague from the past to save the present, and what sustainable thinking in architecture entails.
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Can we say that the architectural appearance of a place, whether a village, town, or country, reflects its overall health and attitude towards the quality of life of its people?
Absolutely. Architecture is both a mirror of society and an almanac of its history. Buildings and occupied spaces are the most enduring traces that people leave for generations. The materials, colors, shapes, styles, and scales – all of them influence the everyday lives of passersby, their children, their grandchildren, and their guests from abroad. Good architecture – and by that, I don't mean just buildings, but also streets, parks, squares, and everything else in a village or city – helps, calms, inspires, provides healthy sunlight, shade, ventilation, water, and life. And it does so unobtrusively. Conversely, poor architecture hinders.
You work on projects for residential buildings and public ones, but you also have projects for restoring and renovating buildings, which is largely the task for the "Colorful Factory" project. What are the specific challenges in adapting a space and transforming it to fit into its time without losing its spirit?
Touching the work of a (more skilled) colleague from 100 years ago is a huge challenge, and we always approach such endeavors with great care and a bit of trepidation. Besides, renovations are the most challenging architectural tasks (especially for iconic buildings) due to the secrets they hold. These projects test the research, professional, and artistic qualities of every architect.
What are the specifics of this process?
The most specific aspect is that you have to preserve the spirit of the building, some characteristic details, colors, and proportions, while also breathing new life into it and adapting it to new functions, new requirements related to earthquakes, evacuation, universally accessible environments, numerous electrical consumers, and so on.
What are the details that distinguish this architectural style?
The facades are clean and orderly, almost without detail, featuring very large double windows and decorative thickening at the corners. The rooms have high ceilings, and the roofs are sloped with a characteristic gable slope on some facades, giving a very interesting reference to the traditional Bulgarian yoke shape – albeit very stylized. Something particularly interesting is the small tower at the top of the building, at the highest point of the roof ridge. For a long time, we wondered if it had a function or was merely an artistic whim. It turned out that this tower provided natural ventilation for the building. Since the classrooms were heated with solid fuel stoves, air circulation was achieved through gaps under the doors and grilles in the upper parts of the rooms, leading to air ducts into the attic space, from which the warm, stale air was ventilated through the tower.
It sounds like a well-organized and sustainable ventilation system. How does this project stand architecturally in the context of sustainable thinking and eco-friendly living?
The most sustainable buildings are those that people are interested in maintaining and that last for centuries. In this sense, the reconstruction of a nearly 100-year-old iconic building for the village was the best way to start, aiming to leave the smallest possible footprint on nature and the environment we intervene in. Unfortunately, modern realities and requirements do not allow us to simply dust off the building and immediately bring it back to life - it had almost no outlets, only 2-3 lamps per room, a single common faucet in the corridor, and outdoor toilets. Moreover, the hall was structurally compromised and had to be completely demolished. In the future, the space is planned to be rebuilt, slightly larger and with its entirely new function as a restaurant and exhibition kitchen. We are making the building earthquake-resistant, universally accessible by adding an elevator, lifts, ramps, and visual communication, making it energy-efficient with the use of thermal insulation and high-quality windows, LED lighting, and modern heating, air conditioning, and ventilation equipment. Photovoltaic panels have been added, rainwater is collected and used for irrigation, etc.
The project aims to build an International School for Culinary Arts and Traditional Crafts - where in architecture does science end and art begin?
I would say that art in architecture is the fundamental and constant spirit of the entire process, while science only helps to realize an idea. As in any craft, the beginning is art – what to create, what form to take, what higher thought to weave into its fabric to make it uniquely its own, how to bear the marks of its time and creator. But the end is also art – the final touches, details, even decoration. Science helps us leave behind higher-quality and more functional buildings that will withstand time and use longer. But here's something interesting – crafts are accumulated knowledge passed down through generations, combined with the skills to create something beautiful – science and art in one.
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