FAMILY HOUSE, BUDAKESZI

This building is the home of a young couple with two children. It was created by the partial demolition and the radical reconstruction of a residential building erected in the 1970s and abandoned a long time ago. The ambitious clients had specific demands and expected higher than average quality from the architect from the beginning, but they also gave him full freedom in the design. The aim was to construct a completely modern, uncomplicated, and bright house, both internally and externally, which faces the panorama and provides a comfortable framework for the family, while also serving them as a cosy home; nothing ostentatious, just the size that they need. The property thus produced was the result of a long process of shared thinking. Its clear shapes and quality features bring the built surroundings into a calm harmony with the garden and recall our modernist traditions before the World War II with a composition of balance and proportion. The one and a half storey high house is located on an extraordinarily steep slope. Its form allows a view on the distant forested hills even from the street level, while completely merging into the green of the garden. The ground level provides a residential area with direct contact to the external terrace, whereas the first level is a closed unit hiding bedrooms. The two levels are connected by a staircase in the middle, which also divides the surface and the mass of the building. The internal design reflects the Client’s meticulous taste: they chose the coverings and the abiding furniture without any contribution from the architect. The house functions on low energy due to its increased heat insulation and optimised reception of sunlight, and energy is provided by ground-source heat pumps whereas heating and air conditioning are ensured by the tube network on the ceilings. The building has a smart house system; all the in-built lamps are energy-efficient LED light sources; and only natural materials were used for the construction. The house was designed six years ago and built cost-effectively – with the work partly organised by the clients –; ever since then, it has been serving the lives and comfort of its owners without any mistake.

In 2020, the building was awarded the Grand Prize of Excellent Architecture by German Design Award, and the BIG SEE ARCITECTURAL AWARD in 2019 residental architecure category.

Family house, Budakeszi

client: PRIVATE
year of the design: 2014
volume: 180 m²