Alt Club: A Multifunctional Space in Timișoara for IT and Digital Creative Professionals
Alt Club in Timisoara is a private space exclusively for individuals working in the IT and digital creative fields. Conceived as a multifunctional space dedicated to both professional activities and relaxation, it operates on a "members only" model, allowing access only to members and their guests under certain conditions.
Alt Club from Timisoara is a private space, addressed exclusively to people active in the IT and digital creative field. It was conceived as a multifunctional space, dedicated to both professional activities and relaxation, and operates on a "members only" model, allowing access only to those who hold this status, along with their guests under certain conditions.
The club has a segmentation of spaces suitable for carrying out various activities. It is equipped with a library, a bar area, a cinema room and a games room, each with state-of-the-art equipment. Thus, in addition to the classic work and networking area, members have recreation and entertainment solutions designed according to their profile, tastes and interests.
Casa's Story tried to find out more about this exclusive venue so we spoke to Stefan Szakal, the owner of Alt Club, to tell us a bit about how the space was set up.
How long did the renovation work take?
“Alt Club operates in one of the historic monument buildings in Timisoara, Casa cu Atlanti. Being a heritage building from 1812, we tried to keep our interventions minimal, but even that took quite a while – almost 6 months.
We consider that the arrangement of the place is not finished. We have indeed invested almost six months at the beginning, but we are constantly adjusting, changing, adding new elements. The space is dynamic from all points of view.”
What materials did you use?
“We used a lot of wood, combining old and new furniture elements with the existing structures in the space. We intervened especially where we wanted to restore balance, brightness or functionality. For example, the joinery elements in the library and bar, which were dark brown, we kept them but painted them white.
We also reconditioned the interior staircase and the fir wood floor.”
Where did you buy the furniture and other decor items?
“We did a lot of research to find the best furniture options. Comfort offered and its usefulness were the main criteria that guided our choices. We purchased both the furniture and the decorations from several suppliers, but we chose to produce some objects ourselves.
For example, we couldn't find tables that met the work requirements of our members. Colleagues from X3 designed the tables we use now and had them made in a private workshop. We also made the paintings and part of the furniture in Alt Cinema ourselves.
The neon gas signs, which represent logos of famous IT companies, were also custom-made. Although LED neons are more common on the market, we preferred to use this type of classic neon. We know it's a rarer procedure nowadays, but we thought it fit the space very well.”
Was the lighting system created by a particular designer?
“The entire lighting system was designed and implemented by us. We only bought a few light fixtures that we adapted to the space. Since members work here during the day and relax more in the evenings and weekends, we had to design the lighting system so that it would be suitable for both situations.”
Did you encounter any technical problems during the works?
“As we use both the ground floor and the space above, we wanted to somehow connect the spaces functionally. This meant a small intervention on a supporting wall, where the billiard table is now located. On the ground floor, probably the biggest change was delimiting a space for the kitchen, which didn't exist before and which implicitly allowed the creation of the area for Alt Cinema.”
Another important stage, but quite difficult, was the refurbishment of all existing installations and the alignment of the space, located in a historical building, to current standards.
What is the total area of the project?
“The club is structured on two floors and covers a total of 350 square meters, of which 190 are on the ground floor and 160 on the first floor. This space has a capacity of approximately 150 people.”
Can you tell us what the estimated budget was?
“The entire concept required an investment of 200,000 euros, which will be recovered in at least five years.”
How would you describe the interior design style?
“We want our members to feel good here, so we adapted the whole concept to their needs, we didn't necessarily aim for a particular style.
We preferred to give the space a unique personality, without going for a specific style, but rather emphasizing the details offered by the decorations and the combination of furniture elements. Being a place intended for people active in the IT and creative-digital fields, we modified the space so that it can be used as a work area, but also as a suitable place for their hobbies.
The space is constantly changing, it's flexible. We add or modify decorative elements depending on how the club evolves and the feedback we receive from members.”
What influences did you have?
“We were inspired by the space and the profile of our members, with influences coming from their professions. That's why many of the decorations are in the digital field, emphasizing gadgets and technologies used.
It's not just a hub-type space where creative-digital people can come to work or socialize within their field, but it also offers them recreation and entertainment solutions tailored to their profile, tastes and interests.”
“Alt Club is, for its members, the space where they can combine work, relaxation and fun in a different way, personalized according to their needs and passions.”
Did you ask an architect for their opinion before starting the interior design?
“The space pretty much dictated the directions of the interior design, as well as the concept of the place. This time we worked strictly internally, that is, the Alt Club team, with the help of designers from X3 and feedback from friends.”
How would you describe the people who frequent Alt Club?
“Our members are passionate about IT and digital and prefer flexibility when it comes to the space where they carry out their activities. They are big coffee consumers, spend their free time together, are fans of video games, the latest technologies in their field and good movies.”
Alt Club from Timisoara is a private place, addressed exclusively to people active in the IT and creative-digital environment. It was designed as a multifunctional space, dedicated to both professional activities and relaxation and operates on a "members only" model, allowing access only to those who hold this status, along with their invitations under certain conditions.
The club has a segmentation of spaces, suitable for carrying out various activities. It is equipped with a library, a bar area, a cinema room and a games room, each with state-of-the-art equipment. Thus, in addition to the classic work area and networking, members have recreation and entertainment solutions designed according to their profile, tastes and interests.
How long did the renovation works last? “Alt Club operates in one of the historical buildings in Timisoara, Casa cu Atlanti. Being a heritage building from 1812, we tried to keep interventions minimal, but even that took quite a while – almost 6 months. We consider the space's arrangement not yet finalized.
We did invest almost six months initially, but we are constantly adjusting, changing, adding new elements. The space is dynamic from all points of view.”
What materials did you use? “We used a lot of wood, combining old and new furniture elements with the existing structures in the space. We intervened particularly where we wanted to restore balance, brightness or functionality. For example, the joinery elements in the library and bar, which were dark brown, we kept but painted them white.
We also reconditioned the interior staircase and the fir wood floor.”
Where did you buy the furniture and other decorative elements? “We did a lot of research to find the best furniture options. Comfort offered and its utility were the main criteria that guided our choices. We purchased both furniture and decorations from several suppliers, but we chose to produce some items ourselves.
For example, we couldn't find tables that met the work requirements of the members. Colleagues at X3 designed the tables we use now, which we had made in a private workshop. We also made the paintings and part of the furniture from Alt Cinema ourselves.
The neon gas signs, representing logos of famous IT companies, were also custom-made. Although they are more commonly found on the market
Is the lighting system the creation of a particular designer? “The entire lighting system was designed and implemented by us. We only bought a few light fixtures that we adapted according to the space. Since members work here during the day and relax in the evenings and weekends, we had to design the lighting system so that it would suit both situations.”
Did you encounter any technical problems during the works? “As we use both the ground floor and the space above, we wanted to somehow connect the spaces functionally. This meant a small intervention at a supporting wall, where the billiard table is now located.
On the ground floor, probably the biggest change was delimiting a space for the kitchen, which didn't exist before and which implicitly allowed the creation of the Alt Cinema area. Another important stage, but quite difficult, was the refurbishment of all existing installations and aligning the space, located in a historical building, with current standards.”
How would you describe Alt Club in one sentence? “Alt Club is, for its members, the space where they can combine work, relaxation and entertainment in a different, personalized way according to their needs and passions.
What is the total area of the project? “The club is structured on two floors and covers a total of 350 square meters, of which 190 are on the ground floor and 160 on the first floor. This space has a capacity of approximately 150 people.” Can you tell us what the estimated budget was? “The entire concept required an investment of 200,000 euros, which will be recovered in at least five years.”
What were your influences? “We were inspired by the space and the profile of the members, the influences coming from their professions. That's why many of the decorations are in the digital field, emphasizing gadgets and technologies used.
It's not just a hub-style space where creative-digital professionals can come to work or socialize within their field. It also offers recreation and entertainment solutions tailored to their profiles, tastes, and interests.
How would you describe the design style? "We want our members to feel good here, so we adapted the entire concept to their needs. We didn't necessarily stick to a particular style. We preferred to give the space a unique personality without adhering to any specific style, but rather emphasizing the details provided by decorations and the combination of furniture elements.
Being a place for people working in IT and creative-digital fields, we have modified the space so that it can be used as a work area, but also as a suitable place for their hobbies. The space is constantly changing, it's flexible. We add or modify decor elements depending on how the club evolves and the feedback we receive from members.
Did you consult an architect before starting the design? "The space itself dictated the directions of the design, as well as the concept of the place. This time we worked strictly internally, that is, the Alt Club team, with the help of designers from X3 and feedback from friends.
How would you describe the people who frequent Alt Club? "Our members are passionate about IT and digital and prefer flexibility when it comes to the space where they carry out their activities. They are big coffee consumers, spend their free time together, are fans of video games, the latest technologies in their field of activity, and good movies.
