Respectful dialogue between historian and contemporary. Renovation of the LH building

The renovation project of the LH building, a two-story residential building in the center of Varna, Bulgaria, involves the preservation and reconstruction of important decorative elements and the expansion of the volume by adding three new floors

The lively historical context and decorative relevance

The LH building is located in a lively context that hosts the dynamic life typical of the historic central area of the city. The existing two-story building dates back to 1923 and falls under the category of "overall importance" as there are no "immovable cultural assets" according to the country's cultural heritage legislation. It is characterized by decorative elements in limestone by the local sculptor Kiril Shivarov, including the sculptures of two children above the corner pediment. Despite the absence of protective constraints, the renovation project entrusted to the STARH studio aims to preserve its appearance and reconstruct the degraded or missing architectural elements

Equity in design between past and present

The design principle followed is that of dialogue between contemporary design and historical context. The investor requests the expansion of the LH building with the construction of three new floors: the new design aims to differentiate itself from the existing one in a respectful way to be fair to both the past and the present. The new architectural volume is defined by the nearby urban silhouettes. A rigid and minimal compositional grid is used for the new facade, achieving a certain harmony with the existing one without dominating it. A ventilated system of panels suspended from various finishes that bring a certain dynamism is used both on the facade and on the roof

Finishes that unify

The existing facades are reconstructed with high-quality smooth plaster in a natural white shade. The new volume is treated in the same tone to achieve a complete and unified appearance of the entire building. All friezes, medallions, and figures are laser-scanned and replaced with polymer concrete casts. Completely renovated, the interior of the building consists of four residential floors, with one apartment on each level, and the ground floor used as a public space and bar

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STARH

Bulevard "Bulgaria" 88 1000 Manastirski Livadi, Sofia Bulgaria