BL YACHTCLUB & APARTMANS, BALATONLELLE

After a long preparation, CIB Leasing, the Client, chose the architect of the apartment complex by a restricted call for tenders. The aim was to create a high-quality holiday complex, which had been unprecedented around the Lake Balaton, and the target group of which is wealthy customers, so the complex can serve as an example for future developments on the shore. Numerous facilities belong to the 153 apartments, including a sandy beach, an outdoor pool, a yacht harbour, a wellness department, a restaurant, a squash court, a gymnasium, and a club room. The 86 acres of ground-plot is located directly on the shore, and the complex consists of a main building and 17 uniformed, smaller houses, as the main focus was the simplest possible sales on the market. The Client instructed the architect that each apartment must have a view of the lake, and each must have a balcony large enough to use. Orientation coincided with the Client’s expectations, as the lake in the north made it possible to fully open the apartments without overheating the rooms inside by summer sunlight. The spacious, consoled balconies also have glass fences because of the demand for a view, and all of them are covered for practical purposes, whereas the huge penthouse rooftop terraces offer a different quality of life. The main building protects the apartments from the main road and from the railway both visually and acoustically. Turning the small buildings by 45°, a dynamic spacious network was created, which ensures the view for each balcony while preserving their intimacy too. The opening and closing spatial flow produces a variety in the complex both vertically and horizontally, as the small villas stand on the green carpet as a designed geometric pattern. The monotony of the series of uniformed elements is broken by the life that has inhabited the buildings. The rows of houses are separated by wood-covered alleys leading down to the shore, whereas crossing pedestrian traffic is served by “waving” geometric promenades. The design of the club belonging to the project is also unique: the huge internal spaces have transparent façades facing the Balaton. The exterior sheath of the building is different from the traditions too: the front is fully covered by painted green glass, so it blends into its environment. The complex has a modern yacht harbour that can host 166 boats. The main principles for the design were to optimise the number of buildings, to bring the constructed and the natural environment into harmony, and to produce an atmosphere that offers complete rest and recreation for people spending their holiday there.

In 2009, the designer of the project received a Péter Molnár Award for the accomplishment of the plan. 

BL Yachtclub & apartmans, Balatonlelle

co-designer:
GÁBOR SZOKOLYAI
client: CIB LEASING
year of the design: 2005-2007
volume: 18 000 m²