SERA Eden (Eden Greenhouse) is a lightweight scaffolding structure sheltering a bar and restaurant, part of a broader attempt at reviving the gardens around the neglected derelict historical Bratianu mansion in central Bucharest. Sera Eden achieved with minimum effort a maximum of impact on Bucharest’s social life becoming since its opening one of the most successful public spaces in a city that lacks them. Its basilical space is, during winter, a shelter both for exotic plants and for people.

It neighbors the embassy of Vietnam on one side, the Hungarian one on the other side and a greenhouse behind the back yard fence. Such vicinity inspired us to convert an existing structure into a glass house. Technically, Vietnam's Embassy land belongs to Vietnam, so it is only natural for bamboo to grow on its border.

The pipe scaffolding reinforces the typical greenhouse structure, being at the same time reusable, always in the need in the construction industry. Corrugated metal sheet is used for the few opaque walls as it conveys a sense of light and provisory construction. The floor is in brick. The only contrasting material is the thick white marble for the bar counter, a discreet hint to the world of cocktails and spirits. Landscaping is the crucial part of the project. Instead of following the traditional lines that the building would have dictate, we contradicted it with sinuous organic shapes to contrast both the existing historical building and the geometric glass house. These shapes will blend in with the wild and exotic vegetation (bamboo, ginkgo biloba) to grow in the next years and provide a labyrinthine path for visitors to explore.

Four seasons passed since the opening of SERA Eden. Nature took over and now the greenhouse is blending in with rapidly growing greenery. The less it is visible, the more we achieved our scope: a transparent, discreet addition to what looks like a public park. SERA, while private and being sustained by commercial activity is, in many aspects, a park for the community, something of a premiere in Bucharest’s landscape.

Project in collaboration with Workroom Architecture
Team: Corvin Cristian, Serban Rosca, Petru Lalut