Ferry station, Szentendre

Architects: Antal Puhl, Péter Dajka 
Text: Tamás Ulrich 
Photos: József Hajdú 

Based on photos made of the former ferry station in Szentendre one can see that this ferro-concrete Sleeping Beauty was sleeping for quite a long time and badly deteriorated meanwhile. Designed and built back in the 1970s the building was in ruins beyond recognition: it was only the reinforced concrete shell, some rotting wooden panels and the letters of the old inscription that came down to us in the parkland along the riverbank of the Danube. Almost five decades ago this house was designed probably following the architectural principles phrased by after designs by Le Corbusier. Radiating raw physical force, it features a monolithic ferro-concrete pillar structure, robust plinths necessitated by floods that support the upper floors, beams and struts that run onto the facade, a characteristic attic with gargoyles, and a faceted ceiling. During the reconstruction taking place in 2016 the designers, Antal Puhl and Péter Dajka seem to have been inspired by principles, designs and images of Villa Savoye (Le Corbusier, Poissy, 1931). It was such a successful project that the new building appears also imposing, beautiful and elegant when its main spectacle is viewed from the river. The nicely floating upper-floor facade features an integrating ribbon-like structural glass elevation as high as a whole level, the reconstruction only doubled the vertical articulation of the south-eastern facade overlooking the river. Behind it there is an office area with a huge horizontal plan. The upper-floordecks have interior facades in the corner of which one of the four panelled pillars appear. Behind the homogeneous exterior glazing stained glass panels conceal the solid interior wall sections. The two ferro-concrete pillars disappear into the walls in the interiors, the original faceted ferro-concrete ceiling is covered by a white suspended ceiling, and designers only exposed the old parts in one place, namely the facade of the spacious office area. The offices and conference rooms upstairs reflect highly elegant and well-sized kitchen-.dining, bathroom-toilet, shower-toilet, bathroom, wardrobe areas which reflect social sensitivity. The large floor area of the square-shape offices as well as the two decks facing the Danube are the main spectacles. The deck has glazed balustrades that do not hinder the view, quite the contrary, they are nice additions nestling into the glaze band wrapping round the facade.

• General design: Puhl és Dajka Építész Iroda Kft.
• Leading architects: Antal Puhl, Péter Dajka 
• Fellow architects: Melinda Csáki, Katalin Füzesi, Tamás Serestyén
• Interior: Aliz Ördög – LIMA Design
• Structure: Róbert Hampl 
• HVAC: András Oltvai 
• Electrical engineering: Zoltán Ivanics
• Landscape: Anikó Andor