A sport hall placed in a bomb-site is not a unique example in Budapest. Numerous examples have recently been built in Angyalföld, in the eighties in Városmajor Street, or even the nearby Dandár Bath. The proximity of a university campus can overwhelm the inconvenience of a unique architectural situation. The unique nature of the task creates exciting architectural challenges. Although the announcement contained a character-oriented city-image, neither the venue nor the function justifies this building to over-form the city.

The former premises and warehouses of the site are in some respects relatives of the planned house. The façades cover large spaces, the interior design is determined by strict functionality, the materials used are convenient, the support structure is “clear”. We have made a direct reference to these preconceptions and the house has been formulated according to very similar principles.

In the interior design we wanted to use natural light as a basic architectural tool in a variety of ways despite the tight space. The rear facade of the building was drawn back from the plot to the neighbouring building, so we gained another facade. To the south of the street we opened the swimming pool. The spaces of the architectural program can only be arranged over the longitudinal axis of the plot. At the same time, for the great spans this does not do well, the structural heights increase. Thus, we reduced the spans to the minimum according to the sporting needs and created a band serving the east side of the plot. For larger spans, we designed monolithic underlayment slabs, slightly backsliding to the character of the Prussian vaults.

On the ground floor, we placed the smaller sports halls that can be utilized daily and on business basis as well. The first and second floors are occupied by the swimming pool, the big gym has been placed over it. We attached a terrace to the stairs, so we pushed the mass back in the adjacent building. In our opinion, the width of the Lónyay Street would bear this building height. The lack of a yard was made up on the roof where we placed a tennis court. The roof terrace can also be used for other sports or social events.
The façade was covered in raw brickwork and the ground floor of the building was glazed. The large openings were pushed back on the facade, so rain shelters and a covered cafeteria terrace can be formed on the ground floor, while balconies are connected to the swimming pool on the next level. With the deep, recessed openings we also tried to enhance the character of the public building.

BACK TO PROJECTS