Extension of a Detached House, Budapest

Architect: Tamás Tomay
Text and photos: Rudolf Klein

Tamás Tomay is one of the masters, who most typically embody the renaissance of detached houses and blocks projects in Hungary. It does not humbly adapt to its clients, but initiates a dialogue with them. However, there are certain aspects which it strictly sticks to: the originality of forms, transparent clarity and the liberty of the artist. Based in Budapest, the detached house has been subordinated to the scales and proportions of the neighbouring single-storey high-roofed house on the right when viewed from the street. This solution results in an unusual effect, as the majority of the roofs of the houses here incline outside the building, which in turn underlines the compact character and the unity of the composition. It borrows and follows the flat roof including its height, and even its window configuration resembles that of the Modernist mansion. The architect has created such a drama within the building which is a genuine rarity in contemporary detached house. It also shows signs of the moderately modernist architecture of the era between the two world wars: the proportions of the heights and width of its rooms bear resemblance with middle-class modernism.