Tiszavirág Hotel, Szeged

Concept: Judit Z. Halmágyi, Dóra Fónagy, Orsolya Bakos
Architect: Róbert Sárai
Text: Eszter Götz
Photos: Tibor Zsitva

The new owner did not only furnish a beautiful and well-functioning boutique hotel into the building of the former Tiszavirág („Mayfly”) pub, but also evoked the eventful history of the house from its ruins. The concept was born as a co-operation of Judit Z. Halmágyi, architect, Dóra Fónagy, architect-interior designer and Orsolya Bakos, the manager of the hotel. A well-established, lively design strategy was used as a start, which reaching beyond the concept of genius loci covered the known history of the building including the unknown details with genuine sincerity. In practice it means the restoration of the details the original design of which was documented by using authentic materials, the replacement of those which were only roughly known, whilst discarding those that were only likely. As a result, it is only patchlike colourful painted surfaces that we see on the vaults of the foyer when arriving via the gate as these murals could not be restored to their originals. Prevailing colours of the original palette of the house such as green, blue and mustard reoccur throughout the building, ranging from the polished paint of the doorframes to the wall colours of the staircase landing to the sophisticated selected design furniture items. The oil paintings gracing the staircase around the glass-walled transparent lift could only be restored to a rather blurred, vaguely recognizable condition which is still capable of evoking the Mediterranean atmosphere. Reconstructed wrought-iron railings, the stairs carved from red marble from Tardos and their marble equals the consoles supporting today’s corridor converted from the former circular external corridor, the ground plan defined by the latter and the magnificent first-floor wrought-iron balcony facing the street are all features evoking the original details of the Romantic-style house.

Concept: Judit Z. Halmágyi, Dóra Fónagy, Orsolya Bakos
Architect for realization plans: Róbert Sárai – Helyi Érték 2009 Építész Iroda Kft.
Fellow architect: Gergely Kurusa
Interior and design: Dóra Fónagy, András Mészáros – D24
Design trends: Panni Dávidházy, Orsolya Bakos
Structure: András Szabó – Systeel (előkészítő fázis), György Kocsis – Fokusz Kft. (kiviteli fázis)
Energetics and HVAC: Gábor Szígyártó (előkészítő fázis), Szilárd Kisapáti, Tamás Tóth, Ventosus Kf. (kiviteli fázis)
Landscape: Dominika Tihanyi – Új Irány, Gábor Szabó – Tér-Team
Glass walls: Attila Farsang, Rihárd Reisch, Balázs Takács – FRT Raszter Építésziroda
Electrical engineering: József Wollner, András Wollner – Innovill Kft.
Public utilities: Ildikó Fodor – Fodor Kft.
Kitchen technology: Miklós Halasi – Agrikon Alfa Kft.
Elevators: Attila Szirovicza – Lift-Tec Kft.