Estate Centre, Köveskál

A picturesque village of 500 people located in the centre of the Káli basin. The estate was founded in 1949 for the purpose of animal husbandry. Along the years the facility had declined, the buildings had become dilapidated. The estate has changed hands which meant that the animal husbandry ended. In the coming years the neighbouring almond farming will be the facility’s main activity. The tearing down of some ramshackle buildings and the renovation of others will gradually lead to the revitalisation of the estate.

The first stage of the process is the refurbishment of a farming building erected in the 1950s with a total area of nearly 870 square metres, as well as the construction of a residential building that will house flats for the owner and the caretaker of the estate. The new building replaces an old storage facility. Its structure follows the gable and pitched roof pattern but it uses untraditional materials and detailing. The agriculture-inspired details, the wood-covered sliding door, the metal sheet are to counterbalance the typical conservative-romantic local style. Among all the buildings in the estate, this is the only one which was built using untraditional construction technology and materials.

Our aim was to apply the components of contemporary architecture in a highly protected, vernacular environment, the Balaton -felvidek National Park. Our aim was not to copy the minimalism in architecture, but to strenghten the approach which can reflect our times, our changing needs as well as the fashion of our times.

The poor quality of the rocky ground does not allow the planting of rich vegetation. The almond farm occupying several hectares only gives rich yield in every seven years also. Growing of some fruit and herb can be the basis of farming here. The owner intends to create a self-sustaining small farm in a few years.

The Baron House in Sweden, designed by John Pawson, serves as a model for the family house.

Location: Balaton-felvidék

Architect: László Vincze dla arch.

Associate: Péter Páczelt arch.

Interior design: Éva Zavadzky, László Vincze dla

Structural Engineers: Antal Ther

Mecanical Engineering: PhQ – József Kiss, Zoltán Sor
Project area: 280 sqm

Contractor: Paczolay Kft.
Project year:  2008 – 2010