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Architects: László Papp - plémühely
- Area: 134 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Tamás Bujnovszky
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Manufacturers: GRAPHISOFT, Baumit, Bramac, INTERNORM, ROCKWOOL, Thermowoodmaster
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Lead Architects: László Papp
Text description provided by the architects. There is a cross-shaped house built in the 1930s, a family inheritance, with outbuildings connecting longitudinally. This is what I imagined with my family to be our home in the long run.
We intended to keep the development type and masses that are common in the area and redesign the layout in terms of functionality to be more conform with today’s requirements.
From the residential building – stable – barn triangle, the residential area may be preserved, the stable with its masonry structure is to be demolished due to structural issues. The most characteristic part is the barn with its closing wooden structure and wooden cladding, which is a preliminary image of the anticipated extension.
We divided the required areas into three groups. We set the so-called night zone—the three bedrooms and the bathrooms—in the residential area to be preserved. The kitchen – dining room – living room area is complemented by an area serving common householding purposes, and is located in the barn area, having corresponding dimensions and mass. The extension connects to the preserved building by a light corridor link and the interior atrium to be developed adjacent to it providing light while subtly indicating the absence of the demolished stable. This is the entrance.
The main aspects during the design were that the refurbishment should take place with as minor of an alteration of the existing structure as possible and that the southern light obtained from the site’s characteristics should be utilised while also keeping in mind a cost-efficient feasibility. Apart from the restoration of the 4 original facade openings facing the street, we also did some interior works, roof refurbishment, and heat insulation of the exterior facade in terms of the preserved wing. We brought back the interior spatial perception of the barn in the extension.
While building the structure, we used reclaimed bricks and new timber; apart from these, we aimed to minimise the amount of new materials.
At the facade installation, the aim was to highlight the clean surfaces and blocks. Since the original street side facade decoration had been lost during the earlier alterations, we chose a facade installation without any interspersion. We prepared the extension with a vertical board cladding matching the wooden cladding structure of the barn. This solution is pleasing to the eye and also plays an important role as a structural insulation against the heating up of the interior areas.
The interior areas are dominated by simple painted walls, wooden shelves and cabinets recessed at some places, and transparent decorative flooring installed on the floor slab. We aimed to treat the doors and windows on the facade as frameless living pictures on the wall. Thereby, we were able to develop a very intensive visual connection between the living room and the barn that had meanwhile been relocated to the end of the site by a crane; therefore, our heritage has become part of our lives.
