Rác Baths, Budapest

Architect: Tamás Dévényi
Text: Ágnes Bechtold
Photos: József Hajdú

After many decades of mishaps, the bad fortune of Rác Baths seems to be coming to an end. It was not World War II that did the worst of damage to the building mellowed by age but the period following it (such as the reconstructions of the 60s), but even the 2000s witnessed some of its valuable parts being pulled down. There was a change in 2007 when designing was taken over by Tamás Dévényi and the workshop named Budapest Műhely. The underlying principles of the reconstruction of the baths are finely tuned to the existing historic buildings whilst they also define the identity of the new parts in a characteristic way rendering the complex spatial system transparent and more utilizable, to show more of the old buildings in an authentic way. Whatever new there is should be ascetically modern without miming the old, but exploiting its lessons.

Design: Budapesti Építőművészeti Műhely Kft.
Architecture, interior: Tamás Dévényi
Leading architects: Csaba Valkai, Anikó Varga
Fellow architects: Orsolya Máté, Eszter Mihály, Tamás Ükös, Viktor Vadász, Donát Szakmáry, Dóri Máthé, Donát Rohonczi
Structure: András Szabó, Tamás Tamássy
Installation: Ervin Barta
Electrical engineering: Gábor Somogyi, Csaba Sárik – MILE Kft.
Hydrogeology: Géza Révi
Water installations: Sándor Hajdú
Landscape: Adrienne Szalkai – Pigment Stúdio Kft.
Public utilities: Bálint Simon – Siengi Kft.
Archaeology: Papp Adrienn – BTM
Monument experts: Bor Ferenc, Bartos György – Hild-Ybl Alapítvány