House and annexes, Káli Medence

From the entrance gate, the one remaining pig shed stands to the right. The largely reconstructed building is a gargantuan 80 metres long. At the near end, the architect designed a flat for the caretaker. Immediately behind that he placed a garage for four cars plus several storage spaces. The remaining space – some 70% of the entire building – with a double row of concrete columns, has also been refurbished, but still awaits some future function.

Beside the caretaker's house, a stone paved path leads to the new house (320 m²) which stands at right angles to the shed. This, in fact, consists of two separate volumes, a small one at the west end and a larger volume, containing the actual living quarters, at the east end of the strip. Seen from a distance, the light grey roofs reinforce the archetypical appearance of the ensemble. Close up, these corrugated steel roofs have the same artlessness as the fibre cement roofing commonly used for sheds and barns. The concealed gutter accentuates the abstract image.

On the imperforate north side, the two volumes are visually linked by a two-metre-high concrete wall. Behind this wall, between the two volumes, lies a sheltered terrace finished entirely with hardwood planks. In a few years' time, a newly planted linden will provide additional shade to the terrace.

At the end of the path behind the concrete wall, slightly below grade, is the entrance to the dwelling. Ancillary functions, such as the entrance hall, toilets and storage space, are ranged along the north elevation. The living room with open kitchen and the main bedroom are logically located along the south side, all with a panoramic view of the surrounding hills, and the Káli Basin. Of particular note is the covered, one-metre-deep zone that has been added to this south elevation. The folded-back wooden slatted shutters disappear neatly in the deep reveal of this zone while the overhang keeps the burning summer sun at bay. The shutter track is not laid immediately in front of the glass facade, but 80 cm away from it, so that in summer a section of the timber deck becomes part of the house. Under the roof are two more bedrooms and a bathroom. The smaller volume contains a sauna and a Turkish bath on the ground floor, while the loft has yet to be allocated a function.

Thanks to the choice of materials and abstract form, Lászlo Vincze has succeeded in creating a sense of coherence between the new house and the existing rural architecture – in much the same way as the nearby, slightly curved wine cellars by architect Kis Peter are in harmony with the unassuming architecture of local wine cellars. With this unshowy, minimalist architecture, a novel trend has been established for modest new construction in these beautiful rural surroundings.