Residential House, Debrecen

Architect: Péter Kovács
Text: Attila Kőszeghy
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky

The architect and his client realized a gesture opening both the exterior and the interior, which is original regarding its scale and nature, by almost ultimately simple surfaces and masses matched high standards when planning and constructing this residential building in Debrecen. Architect Péter Kovács had to build now in an essentially non-existing street in Debrecen: he landed a white cube – nicely visible from a bird’s eye view – and with gently rustling opening-closing lamellas he slit up the firmly closed exterior character of the surface. The space in front of the opening lamellas features a fence-wall sealed with a gate-like door for pedestrians, which in turn enhances the refined spiritual play of openness and closeness. The openness of the apartment towards the yard shows the trust which lends sense and guarantees the value of being at home here for the future without using spectacular effects, and enhances the cultic quality associated with non sacred character. The configuration and articulation of the interiors is witty and creative, and shows close resemblance with the logic of the linear arrangement of the rooms in Baroque castles. The building is organised around a central space opening to the patio, a spacious yard, as part of a configuration of spaces flowing into each other. The relatively generous dimensions appear surprisingly reserved, and the architectural concept permitted light to permeate each space in a refined way.

Design: Archiko Kft.
Architect: Péter Kovács DLA
Fellow architects: Ottó Ferenczi, Barna Hajdú, György Kazamér
Interiors: György Frank, Balázs Tatár
Structure: Zsigmond Dezső, Attila Kocsis
HVAC: Zsolt Gyarmathy
Electrical engineering: Zsolt Nagy
Lighting: Zoltán Gyalus
Environment: Tamás Sándor
Client: Azure Magyarország Kft.
Main contractor: Barna Bau Kft.