National Tennis Centre, Budapest

Architect: Géza Kendik 
Text: Anna Zöldi 
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky 

Colours applied in rich tones in architecture from the Art Nouveau style on were gradually pushed into the background and the passage of Art Deco also meant the end of bright palettes. Modernism as such exiled tones altogether, and only tolerated the presence of clean colours if any. The past few years, however, saw the return of colours in a spectacular way into our man-made environment. Built on a hillside, the building of the National Tennis Centre takes on the game which was an elite sport from the very beginning. Its architectural appearance also had to reflect its outstanding and prioritized function, the national character. The former lies in the generous overall formation of the volume of the building, s well as in the well-conceived richness of functions, whilst the latter in the colourful design of the facade. Cut in an angle and organised into horizontal rows, the components are fixed in a powder-sprinkled metal sheeting which is actually a grand mosaic of colours as it breaks down the three colours of the national flag into harmonious lines of colours, a total of 12 various shades. The outcome is a fine example of how aesthetic architecture can respond to a trap-like challenge which seems didactic. The relatively modest size floor area features a generous sports centre which has been selected as one of the 15 best applicant projects of WAN (World Architectural News) in the category titled Color in Architecture.

• General design: Studio A4  Kft.
• Leading architect: Géza Kendik 
• Architects: Zoltán Papp, Zsófia Hargitay 
• Structure:  Viktor László 
• HVAC: Benedek Végh 
• Electrical engineering: Zoltán Tóth 
• Geotechnical expert: Balázs Vásárhelyi