Great Hungarian Plain House, Hungary Farmstead Conversion, Architecture Images

House in the Great Hungarian Plain

New Rural Residence in Algyő, Hungary design by András Varsányi, Péter Pozsár, Norbert Vas

Design: András Varsányi, Péter Pozsár, Norbert Vas, Architects

Location: Algyő, Hungary

Award-winning architecture modernizes the traditional Hungarian farmstead

House in the Great Hungarian Plain

Photos: Tamas Bujnovszky

9 Jun 2018

Algyő House in the Great Hungarian Plain

Hungarian architects build on the past with this inventive design for a house built in the Great Hungarian Plain, working the important values of folk lifestyles into the structure for a modern rethinking of a familiar concept.

Great Hungarian Plain House

Modern design can often fly in the face of the traditional values of the past. In some cases it can aim to improve by ignoring the needs and concerns that we once had, but this architectural design in Hungary shows that – for home structures, at least – those same values are just as important now as they ever were. Having won the audience’s vote at the Media Architecture Awards, it’s clear this is a value that modern homeowners are considering.

Great Hungarian Plain House

Great Hungarian Plain House

In the small village of Algyő in the Great Hungarian Plain, this project took the classic cross-section and layout of a traditional Hungarian farmstead and reconstructed it with a modern eye, replacing an old farm house that previously stood on the site.

Great Hungarian Plain House

With the surrounding area suffering from depopulation due to global and national changes in the needs of agriculture, it was important that the project maintain the traditional values of such a building but with more contemporary needs.

Great Hungarian Plain farmstead conversion

As a result the most iconic aspect of the project is the central courtyard of the building, which is enclosed by its three sides to create an intimate setting among the trees of the surrounding acacia forest. The various modernized elements take aspects that were no longer needed from a traditional farmstead, and repurposed their use; what once would have been stalls to store animals or maize are now garages, while a corner section removed part of the interior structure but maintained the roof to create a quaint, sheltered, outdoor seating area.

Great Hungarian Plain farmstead conversion

With the project’s client sharing his time between the hectic life of Budapest and the countryside, it was important that the house not only facilitated the needs of any typical urbanite but also created a tranquil space that could be the perfect place for him and his family to escape from the stresses of city living. The outdoor area encapsulates that, with its own pool and a number of terraces of varying heights to make use of.

Great Hungarian Plain farmstead conversion

There is a modern addition in the form of the library, a white cube protruding out from the otherwise entirely wooden structure. The secluded spot embeds itself within the forest, intentionally representing urban architectural design but also creating a quiet space to read and relax.

Great Hungarian Plain farmstead renewal interior

The intention of the architects was to utilize a minimal floor-plan, making use of the traditional roof to create an interior space that was at once open, warm and welcoming. Though the building mimics the orientation of the original farmhouse exactly, its position within the wood was carefully selected to minimize the impact to the forestry and help habitation within nature to be as seamless as possible. The modern farmhouse also features windows on either side of the building to allow light to seep in from every angle. This has created a much brighter and more airy space that is very much in contrast to the darker rooms of such traditional houses, whose functions relied on protection from the elements rather than anything else.

Great Hungarian Plain farmstead renewal exterior

Similarly, this retelling of traditional values takes the core idea of individual units – where space had to be alloted for particular functions – and integrates it into the livable space. In addition to the separate wing for the garages, the building is smartly divided into living areas and bedrooms, effectively connected via the outer courtyard and sheltered club space.

Great Hungarian Plain farmstead interior

This modern farmstead is expressing the contemporary need for smart integration into an environment while extolling the traditional values that comes from the building’s folk inspiration.

Great Hungarian Plain home interior

New House in the Great Hungarian Plain – Building Information

Client: Gergő Zoltai
Architects: András Varsányi, Péter Pozsár, Norbert Vas
Building contractor: Tóth Tibor – carpenter
Year of construction: 2014-16
Scale of project: 480 m2
Project cost: 500,000 EUR

House in the Great Hungarian Plain

House in the Great Hungarian Plain images / information received 080618

Location: Algyő, Hungary, Eastern Europe

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