The association was founded in 1989 by seven small cooperatives. The founders unanimously chose the name Károly Kós, naturally embracing the spirit and legacy associated with it. Under the leadership of the three founding masters, Miklós Kampis, Imre Makovecz, and István Kálmán, the Károly Kós Association was thus established. The organization operates on the basis of free decisions, in accordance with the decisions of the community, within the legal framework we have created and prescribed. The practice, promotion, and teaching of Hungarian organic architecture is ensured by the Wandering School institution. The Országépítő (Country Builder) magazine has been published four times a year since 1990.
Architecture, environment, society; the areas mentioned in the title of the magazine represent issues, ideas, and experiments affecting communities in addition to architectural work. The Association played a significant role in the reconstruction of Bereg after the 2001 Tisza flood, as well as in the reconstruction of Devecser and Kolontár after the 2010 red sludge disaster.