Wood Pellets Dry-Room, Monor

Architects: Katalin Fazekas, Péter Fejérdy, Balázs Kemes, Miklós Oroszlány
Text: Bálint Marosi
Photos: Zsófia Boczán, Albert Máté – KépKocka, Balázs Kemes

Based in Monor, the wood pellets dry-room is an auxiliary building of a few square metres erected on the outskirts of the town. The Maltese charity organisation has been dealing with the issues of locals living in harsh conditions since 2004 who in turn asked for help and contacted the young architects of Public Building Design Department. This co-operation launched in 2012 was the follow-up of an intense dialogue: mapping the prevailing local conditions and the precise survey of the environment and the summary of potentials all contributed to the construction project. Very simple materials, small bricks, timber and corrugated slates were used to build this house of modest size to house the functions: producing an organic fuel, wood pellets from local resources only, as well as storing them. Modest on the exterior, which is deceptive considering its smartness, has been operating now for two years, proving and justifying the longish procedure involving lots of participants, every single minor decision, the slanting slope in the right direction, the openings for ventilation in both directions to filter the whole building with fresh air, the rainwater collecting system, as well as the roof design were all targeted to guarantee smooth operation and economical construction. Whilst people flock to cities all over the world, and urbanisation seems to be an unambiguous, self-evident and sweeping tendency, people working out these concepts vote for the importance of rural life: it is not only the „pantry of the town” and its responsible economization is exposed here along with bonding and belongingness and providing potentials and opportunities.

Organizers: Katalin Fazekas, Péter Fejérdy, Veronika Holczer, Balázs Kemes, Miklós Oroszlány – BME, Márton Bátki, Ilona Gál, Katalin Juhász, Dávid Kiss, Szilárd Lantos, Zsolt Oláh, Gábor Szarka – Magyar Máltai Szeretetszolgálat
Fulbright alumni coordinators: Katalin Fazekas , Miklós Oroszlány
Concept: Katalin Fazekas, Péter Fejérdy, Balázs Kemes, Miklós Oroszlány, Árpád Vilics, Veronika Egyed, Dóra Fódi, Bálint Iszak, Orsolya Nagy, Tamás Polarecki
Consultants: Márton Bátki (social worker), Nóra Feldmár (industrial ecologist), Péter Görög (soil mechenics), Dezső Hegyi (statics), Ádám-Tibor Krizsanics (technical manager), Zoltán Páricsy (structure expert), Csaba Szikra (building engineering), Bence Takács (surveyor)