DANUBE
DELTA
RESORT
RESORT
Location: Danube Delta, România
Built area: 6663 sqm
Capacity: 4&5 star eco resort -106 keys
Partner in charge: arch. Eliza Yokina
Team: arch. Iulian Bădărău, arch. Maina Păsărin, arch. Zenaida Florea, arch. Andrada
Tărău, arch. Adrian Perdică, arch. Corina Nicolae
Year: 2021-2022
In the embrace of the Danube Delta, Jurilovca resort emerges as a sanctuary, offering a unique experience where myriad bird and animal species converge in a wild tapestry of life. Ancient settlements bear witness to the intersection of diverse civilizations neighborhood.
Confronted with this exceptional setting, our architectural vision sought to envision a
tourist resort, navigating the delicate challenge of fostering development while preserving the delicate balance of natural life and the local community.
The design ethos embraces the responsibility of harmonizing growth with environmental
and cultural integrity, creating a haven that coexists seamlessly with the pristine
surroundings.
The Danube Delta Resort complex is composed mainly of existing buildings-the fish can factory, the Cherhana, the wood and the mechanic workshops, the weaving mill and sewage treatment plant-a mix of industrial sites within a traditional village setting. The complex is separated into two areas: the 4 star area and 5 star hut area.
The unique character of the Jurilovca area results from the fact that, within a relatively
small area, almost all major landscape types of Tulcea County are encountered. Traditional Lipovan houses, usually built by local craftsmen, are arranged along wide streets, developed according to a geometric layout. The façades are richly decorated and painted in shades of white, blue, green, ochre, and grey, with reed roofs and tympanums distinguishable by their intricate ornaments of fretworked wooden gables.
Informed by this rich heritage, several tourist accommodation archetypes were designed:
The 5 star “family huts”, with footprints varying between 51 mp to 65 mp, can accommodate guests in up to two bedrooms per quaint unit. The 4 star area spans carefully restored heritage structures—the Carpentry Workshop, the Lathe Workshop, the Weaving Mill, the Smokehouse, and the Canning Factory—which merge original character with upscale hospitality standards.
The leisure sector includes various sports facilities such as a nautical club with a lounge pavillion and a luminous tea house that can accommodate up to 32 guests; these facilities serve the swimming pool and beach area and are designed to blend seamlessly into the endemic vegetation.
The Danube Delta Resort complex also features a generous fishermen’s hall (cherhana) and a restaurant with its own greenhouse, as well as the Jurilovca House, designed to host from boat workshops to cultural activities.
The proposed materials primarily reconnect the specific elements that give character to
the place; through them, the buildings seek to integrate both chromatically and texturally. Through the use of materials, a contemporary identity is created, connected to tradition and industrial heritage.
The main construction materials used in the area are adobe, clay, wood, and reed. With the development of transport along the Danube and the canals, stone also appears.
Earth, formerly the main construction material, was traditionally used for: filling walls built using the “lath” technique with clay; constructing the walls of houses and certain household annexes through the production of adobe blocks; daubing the reed or wattle walls of
houses; finishing walls made of adobe, wattle, or clay; creating the floor structure in combination with reed; plastering the porch; plastering the floors of the dwelling; constructing foundations; forming the upper layer of stone fences; building bread ovens or blind stoves, etc.
Wood: Fir, linden, willow, poplar, and more rarely dog-wood were used for wall construction, as forked posts, horizontal battens, laths, and poles. Fir wood was—and still is—used for roof structures, particularly for the main beam, with smaller beams made of twigs (today of laths). The ceiling of the house, the porch, and the gable are made of wooden boards. Decorative elements (“florăria”) were created through fretwork and then fixed to the fascia board or the gable. Doors and windows were also made of wood.
Reed was used both for constructing walls and roofing, as well as for enclosures. In the attic of the house, reed was laid over the cords, thus creating the support layer over which earth was applied in the form of clay.
NEWS
17.11.2025
Two Awards for CUMULUS at the Romanian Hospitality Awards 2025
We are proud to announce that CUMULUS Architecture Office has received two awards at the Romanian Hospitality Awards 2025, in the “Best Design” category:
First Place – La Mița Biciclista
Reinterpretation of a historic Bucharest landmark, where architectural detail and narrative design celebrate cultural identity, while creating a vibrant hospitality experience. View project
Second Place – The Marmorosch Bucharest
Transformation of a former bank into a luxury hotel preserving original grandeur while introducing new layers of spatial clarity. View project
12.09.2025
DOS GALGOS HOUSE
Nominated at BNA 2025
We are pleased to share that our design for Dos Galgos House has been officially nominated for the Bienala Națională de Arhitectură (BNA) 2025 edition, themed “ALTFEL”.Dos Galgos House was selected among the projects that exemplify this spirit of innovation and architectural excellence. View project
14.10.2025
I HOUSE by CUMULUS Receives Two Honors at Anuala 2025
We are delighted to announce that I House has received two distinctions at Anuala 2025, Romania’s most comprehensive annual architecture awards:Winner – “Architecture of Interior Design / Residential Interiors”
Nomination – “Built Architecture / Individual Housing Architecture”
I House was also nominated in the main architectural category. View project
23.05.2025
Swissôtel Poiana Brașov Wins Best Architectural Design in Eastern Europe
We are proud to share that Swissôtel Poiana Brașov has been awarded Best Architectural Design in Eastern Europe at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2025.
The project redefines luxury as wellbeing, offering spaces that nurture the mind, body, and soul through a sustainable, context-driven architectural approach rooted in Transylvanian identity. View project