A Passive Tenement House in Angyalföld

Architects: Csaba Nagy, Károly Pólus, Dániel Déri, Bence Várhidi, Tamás Kiss
Text: Krisztián Dudics
Photos: Zsolt Batár, Tamás Szentirmai

Commissioned by District 13 of Budapest, a new passive house was built containing a total of 100 dwelling units. To minimize the costs of maintenance was equally beneficial for the tenants and the local government, whilst hardly increases the costs of investment and development. The architectural appearance of the building reflects limitations imposed on it by strictly puritan discipline which in turn encourages architects to look for new opportunities of creative design. It also proves the carefully planning and responsible economizing approach of the local government that it did not mean to economize on the one-time construction and design costs: instead, they focused on the reduction of maintenance costs that are going to burden people for several decades. As the environment and streetscapes lack firm characteristics, they do not require straightforward adjustment by any means. This is why the main focus of the design stage of the project was the orientation of the building on the site which is luckily a priority concern and an extraordinarily important aspect in the case of passive houses. The architects’ concept was to contain the useful heated volume of the flats (that is the thermic skin) within as simple geometric forms (compact brick-shaped bodies) and to also formally separate from them all the necessary areas of access and auxiliary functions associated with them, including the staircases, corridors, engineering units or to connect the the cubes by them. The experience of the building thus simultaneously provides rich intellectual and sensual stimuli, shows and embodies both order and playfulness.

Architects: Csaba Nagy, Károly Pólus, Dániel Déri, Bence Várhidi, Tamás Kiss
Structure: Tibor Pintér – ÉKI TERV Kft.
Electrical engineering: Károly Dorgai – Dorterv Kft.
Passive house expert: Imre Miskolczy – Miskolczy Energia Terv Kft.
Fire protection: György Báder – BNN Biztonságtechnikai Kft.
Traffic: Ilona Kriskáné Boda
Frames: Orsolya Dudinszky – Farsangterv
Garden design: Eszter Barna – Barna Irodaház Kft.
Main contractor: Magyar Építő Zrt.
Client: Budapest Főváros XIII. kerület Önkormányzat