Accommodation building of the Children’s Railway’s

Architects: Kristóf Attila Juhász, Róbert Gál
Text: Péter Fejérdy
Photos: József Hajdú

The new accommodation building temporarily used for a year now at the Children’s Railway’s terminal in Hűvösvölgy has been completed. The new children’s camp, which is located near the station building, is not inconspicuous, but blends into its railway context and surroundings with a naturalness that goes without saying. The similarity of the materials, palette and forms of its earlier buildings also make it clear that they belong to the railway. The new building looks as if it has always been there: the careful integration of the building into its context has resulted in the presence of large trees in its immediate surroundings, the building has not encroached on its surroundings and its positioning is well-adapted to the possibilities.
It defines the camp area while maintaining its connection to the environment through its transparent interruptions. The embracing tracery of the gently curved lines reinforces the definition of the spaces between the previously built buildings. In the new spatial organisation, the designers have preserved the old, established situations and have been able to create new spaces that are easy to use by making simple, rational choices. These include retaining the base slab of the demolished timber houses as a communal terrace, or reinforcing the character of the previously prominent landscaping steps articulating the terrain. Semi-covered terraces, stairs and walkways nicely define the generous volume. The building was designed for summer use originally, as the client had requested, but the designers also considered the possibility of winterisation later on.

Client: MÁV National Railway Ltd.
Architects: Kristóf Attila Juhász, Róbert Gál
Structural consultant: Géza Kapovits
Structure: Dávid Iván Feigl
HVAC: Tamás Hrustinszky
Electrical engineering: Zsolt Beharka, Zoltán Kiss
Public utilities: Gergely Széles
Landscape: Viola Győre
Emvironment protection: Gábor Bata Dr
Fire protection: László Szaladják
Fire alarm: István Németh