A historic building on Biserica Amzei Street, once home to a tailor shop, is about to begin a new chapter before undergoing restoration. Starting July 18, the property, located opposite the iconic La Mița Biciclista, will reopen as ALTLOC 1.6.1.8, a temporary cultural hub offering seven workspaces free of charge to independent creative projects.

The initiative will run for 24 months, until the building enters restoration in the summer of 2028.

Seven Free Spaces for Artists and Independent Projects

Rather than leaving the building vacant while waiting for restoration, the organizers have decided to turn it into a place where artists, photographers, musicians, designers, students, performers, NGOs, and emerging creative collectives can work and present their ideas.

The nearly 400-square-meter courtyard, the street-level rooms, and the upstairs spaces will be available through an open call, allowing selected projects to use them as studios, exhibition venues, meeting spaces, or creative workshops.

The project is entirely self-funded. Instead of charging rent, ALTLOC will finance its operations through an on-site bar, with intentionally affordable prices.

Opening Timeline

The first public event takes place on Saturday, July 18, starting at 7:00 p.m., when the courtyard officially opens to visitors. Admission is free, subject to venue capacity.

Visitors interested in applying for one of the available spaces will be able to register their interest during the opening event and will receive priority access to scheduled viewings.

The project will continue according to the following schedule:

• July 21 – Public call for projects is announced.
• July 22–28 – Guided viewings of all seven available spaces.
• July 28 – Applications officially open.
• August 12 – The first selected projects are announced.

Applications will remain open throughout the entire two-year lifespan of the initiative, with new projects selected every month.

A Temporary Use Before Restoration

ALTLOC 1.6.1.8 embraces the concept of transitional urbanism, an approach widely used in cities such as Paris and Berlin, where buildings awaiting redevelopment are temporarily activated instead of remaining empty.

In Bucharest, this means the building will serve the city's creative community until restoration begins in 2028. Once the project comes to an end, the organizers plan to create a closing exhibition documenting the people, artworks, and initiatives that passed through the space.

Part of a Larger Transformation of the Amzei District

ALTLOC 1.6.1.8 is the latest addition to the cultural ecosystem developed around Amzei Square by ARCEN, alongside the restoration of La Mița Biciclista, the ongoing revival of Cinema Marconi, and the broader Amzei District 2030 initiative.

According to project founder Edmond Niculușcă, if La Mița Biciclista demonstrated what careful restoration can achieve, ALTLOC focuses on something equally important: giving creative people access to spaces they often cannot afford.

Throughout the summer, the courtyard will be open Sunday to Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. to midnight, and Thursday to Saturday from 4:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m.