FAMILY HOUSE, ZUGLÓ

In a suburb of Pest, this family house in an unbroken row of buildings was built for a family of four. The design was demanded to ensure that the ground level would be the main level of use and the roof level would contain only serving functions. The result is a family home that has two storeys on the street side but only the ground level on the garden side. The building perfectly fits into the style of the street, still, its character is different from the neighbouring houses – which was a definite request –, although it is in harmony with its environment. The features of the plot inspired a traditional house with an internal atrium; the spacious living room opens to the intimate internal terrace and the garden. The ground level hosts all the rooms that the family needs, whereas the roof level serves as an attic offering comfort facilities. The house, built cost-effectively and with good taste, is low energy, domestic hot water is provided by solar collectors placed on the roof, whereas the stylish furniture in the building indicates the owner’s resolution regarding quality. The coarse, broken white plaster on the façade creates a soft surface on the house, the wooden windows set on the external plane strengthen the architectural character or the building, so the conscious language is reminiscent of an urban bourgeois house, emphasising city life. It was important to produce an enduring façade so that the building would not simply follow current trends. The internal windowless bathrooms get natural light with a unique solution, through a glass panel built into the ceiling, so there is no need for artificial light in daytime. The jewel in the living space of a double floor-to-ceiling height is the library in the gallery, which floats above the living room set and hosts all the family’s books. The main entrance of the house can be accessed through a deep and thus well-protected recess, so grills were only needed for the windows to be opened. All the plants in front of the house were saved during the building process, and a mobile sail-cloth cover casts shade on the terrace in the garden.

Family house, Zugló, Budapest
client: PRIVATE
year of the design: 2005
volume: 160 m²