The Renovation of the Voss Orphanage in Sopron

Architect: Dávid Józsa
Text: Róbert Jahoda
Photos: Balázs Danyi

In Sopron, the two-storey Baroque-style building of the former Catholic orphanage was renovated in 2020 as part of a day nursery development programme. The reconstruction and extension project was designed by Dávid Józsa, an architect based in Sopron, whose concept was advantageously inspired by the circumstance that the building will continue to be occupied by children. This is reflected in the proportions, the continuity of the existing spatial structure, the logical and unconstrained positioning of functions and the functionality of the new solutions inspired by the building. The complex is located in the oldest part of Sopron, on the slope of St. Michael’s Hill. The architect’s intention in the designs was guided by the different themes of the two courtyards. The front yard is the place of arrival, while the back yard is an “oasis” for children. This dual articulation is followed by the location of the service and main functions. With the sacristy on the ground floor the chapel has been restored, and the Baroque altarpiece has been returned to its original place. The murals from different periods exposed during the restoration project revealed that each of them is valuable, so half a square metre of each surface was made visible to the public. Upstairs a previously walled up Renaissance and early-Baroque style loggia has also been uncovered.

General planning: Archi.doc
Leading architect: Dávid Józsa
Fellow architects: Andrea Radics, Anita Bartók, Lilla Pamuk
Graphic design: Tünde Varga
Structure: László Varga, Károly Bátki
HVAC: János Bánhalmi
Electrical engineering: Vilmos Szalmási
Environment rehabilitation: Judit Horváthné Korinek
Landscape: Gergely Lád, Borbála Gyüre, Emese Kántor-Turi, Dóra Városy
Kitchen technology: Tibor Krauser