Text: Attila Turi

Architect Imre Makovecz was the most significant Hungarian master builder of the last third of the 20th century. If we view architecture not only as an engineering and artistic activity aimed at creating objects, but also as a healing act aimed at community building and improving community and social relations, we will find the full meaning of our profession. The essence of architecture is, on the one hand, the grasping of an idea – artistic content – and, on the other hand, the exercise of the engineering skills necessary for its realization, for “immersing” oneself in the material. Among the arts, this profession is most strongly linked to material, so in addition to the idea of beauty – harmony – it is also linked to durability – materialism – and usefulness, which is linked to use. It is a continuation of Creation, whose task is to transform the existing material of the world into a higher quality form. I am convinced that Imre Makovecz has brought to light cultural treasures about Hungarian identity, the nation as a community, the individuals living within it, and the significant impulses of culture, which are worthy of further elaboration and research. Most of his ideas and initiatives are still relevant in the 21st century, some even more so than when they first appeared.