Design process as a Continuous Translation Task or the enlargement of Grassalkovich Elementary School in Vecsés

Text: Melinda Bognár

Varied media, different formats, various tools, all in the service of communicating an idea. The symbiosis of verbal, visual and formal languages contributes to the realisation of the architectural work through a variety of media, while the shift between the types of media adds to the design with ever-changing character traits specific to the medium concerned. Through the example of the extension of the Grassalkovich German Nationality Primary School in Vecsés, the study demonstrates the specific layers that the use of different methods and the ceaseless dialogue between them add to an unfolding idea. Is it possible to translate from visual language into formal language and back without losing any information? What does it mean to translate an analogue visual 2D projection into a 3D spatial model, selecting from a certain variety of virtual tools? To model an ink drawing with layered textures, materials, texture blending in the early stages of design? When designing new parts of a building, the software and the tools used also play a decisive role in shaping the concept, as what ultimately will appear on the model is what is technically feasible with the software.