Jazz Loft Aquincum Apartments, Budapest

Architect: Bence Turányi
Text: Szilvia Molnár
Photos: Zsolt Batár

Built at the end of the 19th century for the purposes of the First Pest.based Millworks, the mill and store buildings have stood derelict and abandoned for some decades in Óbuda up until the early 2010s when the first part of the newly-built blocks were inaugurated, and then the whole project came to a stadstill. Now the entire structure has been completed, which in turn made Bence Turányi’s concept obvious with its dynamic articulation, the changes of the palette of the cladding, the spectacular distinction made between the new and old parts, which we have never met before in the case of industrial buildings transformed into lofts in Hungary. The facades overlooking the yard feature an integrated design of a homogenuous brickwork cladding, quite often openings on the entire surfaces of the facades. The kind of variety defining the street-front view of the Jazz Loft with an additional storey is reinforced by the metal balcony and parapets cladding of the balcony and parapets in white and various shades of red. Details of the unplastered brick walls have been preserved in various areas of the upper storeys in the interiors, which are exceptionally beautiful, much in the same way as the remains of the girders projecting from the masonry that accentuate the industrial heritage in the staircases. All these as well as the exposed concrete areas of the stairs and the tracery of the sunken LED lights in the corridors and passages are genuine and avoid the impression of being overbeautified.

1st phase (2006–2009)
Lead architects: Gábor Turányi, Bence Turányi
Project architect: Levente Skultéti
Assistant architects: Péter Márk, Marcell Lévai, Éva Pinczés, Dénes Regőczi

2nd phase (2016–2018)
General design: T2.a Építésziroda Kft.
Lead architect: Bence Turányi
Project architects: Renáta Gyurcsó, Gábor Balla
Assistant architects: Bálint Laczkó-Pető, Dénes Regőczi, Fruzsina Újfalussy, Tamás Fülöp, Péter Oravecz