Hideg House, Kőszeg

Architects: Attila Béres, Jusztina Balázs
Text: Jenő Kapy
Photos: Attila Béres

It is quite a while since I’ve been of the opinion that the way to understanding a work of art leads us through getting to know the circumstances of its creation as well as the personality of its author or artist rather than via a kind of comparative description and categorization of the art piece itself. As a result of his Erasmus activities in Oulu, Attila Béres now had the chance to have more professional practice in Norway after being invited there by Todd Saunders’ architects’ team, where he has been employed ever since as a remote colleague.
His minimalist-design wooden-frame building is erected on the periphery of Kőszeg, a forested site steeply sloping to face south on a rocky plateau. The character of the area evokes those in Norway and Canada where the architect had worked before. Attila Béres refers to the configuration as „global locality”, meaning when the designer looks for and finds an architectural response to a rocky landscape which is independent of international frontiers whilst being regional. Embraced by a frame, the building is divided into two main parts: a larger permanent apartment and a guesthouse. Between the two masses there is a terrace open-closed from two sides with views towards south and an illuminated rock face that dominates the site.

Architects: Attila Béres, Jusztina Balázs
Technical istallations: Ferenc Garger