[catalin
dragomir :
: exposé
Widely considered a pre- eminent
architect of the 21st century, CATALIN DRAGOMIR was born and
educated in Romania, before moving to London, where under the
influence of Peter Cook, he finalised his architectural
studies.
In the early 80’s, Catalin was involved in the Romanian
Art Scene. Mainly in painting and fashion design.
After his art
exhibition in 1984, in Bucharest, Catalin has realised that his
true calling was Architecture.
In between 1984 and 1987, Catalin
has embarked in to a very original project, called “Nemesis”. This
study reflects the inner torment of his transition from being a
painter/ sculptor to being an architect.
One of the most striking
features of Catalin’s architectural beginnings is the rapid
evolution of his sculptural approach.
1988. Now a 2nd year
student at “Ion Mincu”, Catalin has exhibited his “Nemesis”, a
collection of 21 soul searching architectural paintings. That
exhibition, has established Catalin as a pre-eminent figure in the
Romanian architectural society.
1990. His architectural poetry
landed him with the possibility of studying under Peter Cook and
his guests Zaha Hadid, Daniel Liberskind and Lebbeus Woods at “The
Bartlett”. In comparing the his works dated 1985-1986, to the ones
of the period between 1990-1994 Peter Cook has noticed a
substantial transformation of his imagination, a maximum
understanding of the interplay between light and shade, a deep
philosophical statement of his complex architectural projects. Zaha
has noticed in some case, that the musical rhythm is contrapuntal,
when the zigzag of one volume, forms a sharp angle with the
internal functions. This was no wonder, since Catalin was haunted
at the time by the idea of Chaos. The link between the “Chaos
Theory” and architecture, was an early indication of his maturity
as an architect.
Methamorphic (
www.catalindragomir.com) is the
vehicle of his imagination. As an office (small but effective),
Catalin’s team has embarked few Mega projects: Greenwich Meridian
Tower (1600m in height), London Euston Station Redevelopment (3.5
million m2), Chongquing Opera House, Danube Delta Fishing Village,
etc.]