TERRA – RESIDENCE & SOCIETY, BALATONBOGLÁR

The given plot with its ancient trees is located in the traditional villa park area of Boglár. It is situated between old houses from the turn of the 19th–20th century on the neighbouring properties on both sides, and it is lined with magnificent ancient plane trees both in the street and on the plot. Protecting and preserving these existing values was particularly important during the planning process, so we proposed a harmonious and human-scale development for the narrow and long waterfront plot. Due to the geometrical characteristics of the plot, it was divided lengthwise into two parts, in the middle with an alley running straight from the garden gate to the water. On the two sides of the alley, a total of five villa-sized buildings are placed in alternating arrangements. The building ratio is analogous to those on the neighbouring plots. Maintaining the existing vegetation and saving as many of the local trees as possible was a top priority. The checkerboard layout allows for a dynamic development, with successive opening and closing spaces, which provide both intimacy and a sense of community for the owners. The row of similarly designed and proportioned buildings is monotonous, but the varied arrangement offers unique views of the lake. The houses are more closed towards the inner promenade, where staircases are placed, while they open up towards the neighbouring gardens and the park, with large terraces facing the greenery in the front yard; this structural order shifts to its opposite as you proceed to the water. The internal linear park section generates communal use, whereas private gardens belonging to the ground-floor apartments are created around the houses, with waist-high hedge walls separating the green spaces from each other and from the central promenade. The garden is an integral part of the composition, significantly influencing its utility and enjoyment value, with a geometric order that evokes the atmosphere of Renaissance parks. The size of the buildings, adjusted to the sales requirements, decreases uniformly from the lakeside towards the railway; this allows us to offer a highly varied range of apartments, despite the small number of units. Each apartment is complete with a large, liveable covered terrace, which is an external extension of the interior space; the penthouse apartment is surrounded on three sides by the rooftop terrace. Noble plaster was uniformly used on the facades of the houses. The owners enjoy a private beach, a bay protected by a built pier, a recreational zone with a playground, a pergola, and an outdoor sauna. The aim of the development is to create a building complex of international standards, which will also be a source of pride for the local community, a real asset by the lake, contemporary but not ostentatious, which can also serve as a beautiful and good example for similar developments around Balaton. The energy supply of the complex is provided by ground source heat pumps, and due to the solar panels installed on the roof, the houses function with near-zero energy consumption. With its high quality of construction and use of materials, which is unusual in Hungary, the villa park in Boglár aims to belong to the category of unique, premium properties. The building ensemble is rooted in the local architectural tradition but is explicitly intended to create a modern luxury quality of life by Lake Balaton, to establish the framework for a 21st century waterfront lifestyle that has never existed before, and, with its timeless architectural character, to set a model for the future.

Terra – Residence & Society, Balatonboglár
Interior designer: KROKI studio
Client: Planum Lignum Ltd.
Design year: 2021-2022
Volume: 2,900 m²