As part of Design is our shared language — a collaborative project between Romanian Design Week and Łódź Design Festival, and an initiative within the Poland- Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025 — Romanian studio BAZA. Deschidem orașul brings forward an urban intervention that explores the chair not just as an object of design, but as a tool for gathering, play, and belonging in public space.
A cultural dialogue between cities
The installation will be presented on Calea Victoriei, one of Bucharest’s most important pedestrian zones. At the same time, a parallel structure created by a 2x3 Creative Studio, a Polish architecture studio will be exhibited in Łódź, creating a cross-cultural dialogue through concept, color, and function.
Together, the two installations remind us of something simple yet essential: design has the power to connect people — sometimes all it takes is a place to sit, and someone to sit next to.
A study on the chair and its role in the city
The installation developed by BAZA is, at its core, a study of the chair in public space. By scaling and repeating this everyday object, BAZA reimagines the chair as more than a seat — it becomes a gathering space, a playful structure, or even a secret hideout for high school students.
The main design strategy was to gradually shift the scale of a regular chair, transforming it into a new architectural element. The chair, with its basic role intact, becomes a construction unit — a playful, open-ended form that invites interaction. As it grows and multiplies, it generates unexpected uses and new spatial experiences.
This approach not only preserves the functional essence of the chair, but also enhances it — turning it into a catalyst for community, conversation, and spontaneity in the public realm.
BAZA – Opening up the city through design
Founded in 2016, BAZA. Deschidem orașul is a Bucharest-based architects’ association focused on urban interventions with strong social and cultural impact. Their mission is to form a vibrant, multidisciplinary community working toward a more open, inclusive, and innovative city.
Their work spans urban regeneration, research, formal and informal education, and support for young creative professionals. Through this project, BAZA brings their experience and vision into a shared European conversation on how design can reshape public life.
The POLAND-ROMANIA Cultural Season 2024-2025 is organised by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest, the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Cultural Institute. There are dozens of events during the season, including exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and literary events.