The Minor Space as Cultural Heritage: Versatility and Resilience in the Bucharest Context

When discussing heritage in architecture, we often focus on buildings or areas with overtly valuable characteristics, such as historical age, urban context, cultural significance, or intrinsic aesthetic value. How-ever, there exists a less apparent heritage, often overlooked because it lies concealed within the depths of urban plots. In the context of dwelling, the architectural heritage of cities includes diverse modes of living that have evolved, persisted, and transformed alongside the buildings that house them. For the historical fabric of Bucharest, one of the most significant typologies is the wagon house, a model that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While the construction period represents a fixed moment in time, the associated ways of living evolve gradually, reflecting the latent imprints of the city from different historical periods. The prominent spaces within these houses, those visible from the street, are complemented by a network of minor, hidden spaces that are essen-tial for their functional and formal coherence. This study examines the vulnerability of wagon houses and especially of minor spaces within them through selected case studies, analysing patterns of urban densification that have impacted them. By revisiting these examples, the paper proposes an alternative approach to urban densification, emphasising the signifi-cance of minor spaces as cultural heritage in sustaining the character and of historical urban fabric.