György Csete’s Approach to Organic Architecture and Technical Innovation

Text: Zuh Deodáth
Photos: Csete Foundation

The oeuvre of György Csete is one of the best examples of how organic architecture can create an artistic whole with strong effects in its human environment, starting from diverse and often seemingly contradictory sources. However, the most productive effects of this complexity, and the apparent contradictions that can be identified within it, are most often observed in terms of the overall impact of the building and its role in conveying meaning. The soberness of vernacular architecture and the elevated technicism of space technology can complement each other as much as they can be jarring when placed side by side. Architectural tasks have combined problematic elements since Vitruvius, and it is this that has given both the difficulty of the complex task and its inspirational power. The notion of organic architecture is characterised by both complexity and contradiction, but it is not irreconcilably opposed to the concept of order, whether natural or artificial, which is exemplified by the history of the idea of organic architecture.
Moreover, György Csete’s statements outline precisely his attitude to design: understanding the complexities and contradictions largely depends on our ability to see organic construction in its aforementioned, partly function-dependent meaning. György Csete and his extended circle of colleagues are a prime example of how it is precisely through the notion of architectural order that the apparent contradiction proves to be resolved. For the formal options that have emerged through old traditions and a lengthy process of maturation are nothing other than a rich repository of the interplay of technology and technique, function, aesthetics and the relationship to the environment.