Being called a “palace of musical wonders,” the unique museum and concert hall space consists of mostly transparent walls and an organically-rounded roof perforated with dozens of holes. Trees will one day grow up from the ground floor and out of those rings, producing a beautiful synchronization between the artificial and biological elements. As Japan native Fujimoto says, the structure is an attempt to harmonize “the nature of sound and the sounds of nature.”

Part of the Liget Budapest Project, an ambitious urban initiative to revitalize the 300-acre City Park with “cultural content,” the Hungarian House of Music comprises almost 97,000 square feet and three floors.

“It is incredibly inspiring to work in one of the world’s first public parks, and the task of designing the building was especially exciting since we not only created an edifice but also brought the park experience into the building,” says Fujimoto.

The ground and second floors will be wrapped in 94 heat-insulated glass panels, some reaching as tall as 40 feet, leaving a view of the interior exposed to the outside world. The main floor will be mostly open and feature two separate music venues. A lyrical spiral staircase crescendos up to the second floor (situated within the roof construction), which itself will house a library, office space, classrooms, and an archive of Hungarian pop music.

The building’s basement level will contain a permanent “history of music” exhibit, with space for rotating music-related showcases. It also holds the hemispherical sound dome, a room for special audio projections. “In the exhibition space set up on the underground level, we use state-of-the-art technology to show that music is actually present in every moment of our lives, from the cradle to the grave,” the Liget Budapest Project website says.

The entire museum is designed not only for those with well-trained musical ears, but for children, families, teachers, students, and anyone else interested in learning more about sound.

Of the distinctive circular roof, Fujimoto says it was mean to be a “visual representation of the vibration of sound: the wave.”

“There are no right angles in the roof structure, almost no two elements that are the same,” he explains. “It is all unique and the surface is punctured by close to 100 individually designed holes for the trees of the park to emerge through.”

Fujimoto also designed melodiously functional lightwells to accommodate those living boughs. They “channel the light right down to the lowest levels, thus helping to illuminate the interiors and create a unique ambience,” he adds.

The architect also wanted to be pitch-perfect in terms of the environmental impact of his design. To that end, the building is supplied with renewable geothermic energy via 120 heat pumps installed 300 feet underground. It also employs an innovative tele-cooling system and was built using several eco-friendly construction techniques.

Fujimoto’s musical palace has already received numerous honors. In 2019, it was named the best public service architecture project by the International Property Awards. A year later, in 2020, the American Music Cities Awards bestowed the title of “Best Use of Music In Property Development/Real Estate” on the building.

The Liget Budapest Project hopes that “with its diverse offering, worthy of the musical past and present of Hungary, and its outstanding personalities, the new institution will be a harbinger and forum for the greatness of music.” The Hungarian House of Music is slated to be opened to the public before the end of 2021.

The post Sou Fujimoto Creates “Palace of Musical Wonders” in Hungary first appeared on Dornob.

In a traditional cathedral, the altar where the Eucharist is performed is situated at the very top of the cross layout or apse, with a pulpit, lectern, and raised seating separating the congregation from the rituals. With this new layout, the church seeks to engage worshippers by allowing them to encompass the altar, instead of simply observing the “holy act” from afar.

“We invite people into the apse, surrounding the altar, forming a community,” says lead designer Robert Gutowski. “It is also similar to the liturgy of early times, when Paleochristians simply surrounded a table in their own home — what is known as Domus Ecclesiae.”

“The church clearly defines its purpose: while the Creator and the almighty God are at the center of traditional liturgy, modern liturgical efforts have shifted emphasis to the re-creator God, the image of a perpetually redeeming Christ,” he adds.

The architecture of the edifice is all symbolic of that updated religious perspective. The oval shape of the building and courtyard represent “perpetuity,” incorporating both the eternal nature of divinity and the constant need for fellowship with Christ and his followers. However, the two ellipses fashioned by the church and connected courtyard are set on different axes. This ties in a traditional compositional detail found in most Catholic churches, in that the nave — the area where the congregation sits — is typically slightly offset from the apse.

“We cannot name one single church that sits on the same axis, because pretty much all of the historical churches in Europe have this tiny ‘mistake,’ which actually became a symbol of the broken body of Christ,” explains Gutowski. The inside of the new house of worship also applies this “broken body” symbolism by making every alcove asymmetrical, and by angling the reinforced concrete ceiling at unconventional slants.

The altar is made of one single wedge of dark green onyx stone, creating a striking contrast to the white walls and Carrara marble of the altar platform. The two steps of the platform are rounded, too, adding to the altar’s feeling of approachability. The modest wooden pews constitute a semi-circle around this space while a rectangular skylight brings in natural light from above. On top of that, the altar and alcoves are illuminated by spotlights for added emphasis.

The Saint Pope John Paul II Church also includes several rooms adjoining the liturgical hall. These include the priest’s living quarters, an educational room, a communal room, a guest room, an office, a service room, and bell tower access.

The Gutowski architecture firm won the bid for the Paty project in a 2004 design contest. The structure was completed and consecrated in April 2019. According to its website, the company focuses on “complex and significant cultural buildings, high performance sustainability, and community renewal projects.” It has produced over 50 projects in its 16-year history, including a gymnasium and concert hall in Pannonhalma, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Korda Pilgrim House in Mariazell, Austria.

The post Minimalist Hungarian Church Designed to Engage Modern Worshippers first appeared on Dornob.

This nearly all-white Budapest apartment is home to a young couple who wanted the interior to reflect the duality of the occupants. Designers Batlab achieved this goal with a unique ribbon-like insert running the width of the apartment. The orange ribbon of medium density fiberboard makes up two separate staircases: a “male” side and a “female” side. Both lead up to the central lofted bedroom, directly above the doorway.

Concealed storage spaces within the zig-zagging orange insert open up behind thin panels in the wall. On the wall of the male staircase, more storage is embedded in the form of several small recessed shelves. These built-in storage elements are customized to the couple’s needs and virtually disappear when not in use.

The entire orange stair assembly is highlighted with a strip of LED lights snaking across its edge. At night, the lights illuminate the apartment in a geometric pattern that echoes the sharp angles of the rest of the space.

More from the architects

“The idea of the two-staired bedroom-loft, which is acting as the accented main element of the flat, was envisioned by a young couple. We were trying to validate design and functionality equally, which resulted in our trying to achieve such consistency and homogeneity that can as well incorporate male and female differences. The placement of the bed right above the door (as ordered by the clients) created a zigzagged geometry that became a ribbon waving towards the corners of the room and as doing so, started to shape and divide the space around it.”

“Sheet metal stairs enveloped in the ribbon form a male side, while the descending ribbon itself counters the former with female delicacy on the other side. This ribbon like ‘object’ acts simultaneously as floor and ceiling, stairs and bed, shelves and hidden storage. Our aim was to compose a homogenous continuous ribbon, which was achieved by using painted fibreboards (MDF) on a steel supporting structure.”

The post An Exciting Orange Staircase Invigorates a Budapest Apartment first appeared on Dornob.

For all of the indignities that public transportation seems to cause, there are still plenty of people out there who feel a certain affection toward the vehicles that move us around every day. This incredible home office must belong to one of those people, because it’s made from the front end of a real Ikarus bus.

The old Ikarus is in a home in Hungary, which is fitting since Ikarus is a Hungarian company. When the project began the bus was old, rusted and quite neglected. A few coats of paint, some loving restorations – and the removal of all but one small corner – and the bus was ready to become a distinctive home office.

Because the bus’s front is enclosed other than the door, this sturdy office is almost like a separate room within a room. There is only enough space inside for a desk and a chair and perhaps a few little odds and ends. Its working headlights and painstakingly restored exterior make this a truly unique and memorable project.

This reclaimed bus turned home office project is yet another cool way that people can make use of old vehicles that are no longer functional.  You might be surprised just how many things can be made out of hubcaps, car hoods, headlights and the other components from broken-down vehicles.

For example, a company called Weld House recycles old scrap metal from cars into cool furniture with tons of personality. Artist and welder Joel Hester makes awesome recycled furniture out of junkyard cars, making the most of worn paint and irregular coloring.

These projects show that no matter how worn out something is, if you’re creative enough, you can find a way to salvage it. That skill will probably come in handy a lot more in the near future as we grapple with the fact that there is no “away” to “throw” things into.

The post Vintage Bus Recycled into Home Office first appeared on Dornob.

Step one was to preserve this historic residence as much as possible – the next steps were to use non-structural solutions to make everything else feel dynamic and modern. How fun is this result? The floating staircase literally named “Emmental” mimics a block of cheese with lots of holes. 

In elevation (or section) the copious perforations draw the eye to this offbeat centerpiece while also opening up views and letting light across the room, as does the absence of risers – all the more fun for the two young children of the clients.

In plan, the odd-angled steps add another element of playfulness (as well as functionality, for the staircase is rather rather steep).

“Since it is centrally located in the apartment, it inevitably had to be treated as the focal points of the space. Its suspended encasement divides living room from dining room and kitchen. It provides certain level of intimacy without isolating these spaces. The circular perforations on the sides let the sunlight seep through, creating surfaces that change the dynamics of the whole interior. The motif for circles was inspired by large windows that another focus point of the apartment. As they remind a lot of holes in cheese, the project was named Emmental Stairs.”

“Apart from being used for its original function, this ‘object’ features a playful touch for children as well. It is used as an inspirational toy, that boosts their imagination and develops their creativity. Due to technical restraints the slope of the stairs had to be kept quite steep. This was somewhat eased through usage of angled treads that complements the visual effect of the stairs. “

At the bottom, the piece was additional held off the floor, reinforcing its role as an additive element that might indeed one day be removed should other aspects of the building be restored. (Stairs by Biljana Jovanovic and photos by Gerardo Altemir)

The post Cheesy! Perforated Floating Staircase Looks Like a Block of Emmental first appeared on Dornob.