unit-code
Harvesting at the Delta: Poetics and Functions of the Danube
Throughout the centuries, the Danube Delta has been a place for those seeking refuge from hostile social and political conditions elsewhere. The project focuses on the Dobrogea region of Romania and responds to Lipovan traditions, beliefs and ways of living. The project proposes a design that focuses on their main trades in reeds, grains, fish and clay as a network of resources that is continually evolving.
The project investigates production methods for the clay, reeds, timber, and fish found locally around Uzlina, a village on the Saint Gheorghe branch of the Danube Delta, the oldest channel with trade networks with the Black Sea.
The building hosts storage and post-harvesting processes for reeds, from drying them in bundles to producing straw bales, which are used to insulate buildings.
The proposal is situated by the canal and incorporates new channels for access and circulation for traditional boats called lotcas. Reeds can either be transferred above ground to the next production facility or sent to boats through trap doors.