Cultural centre, Siófok

The assignment 320fok have set out is brave, not to say over-ambitious. 'The primary aim behind the environmental reconstruction is to build an iconic cultural establishment that could be the key feature element of the image of Siófok,' states the press release. It continues with a review of the winning design as 'an emblematic building not (only) in terms of the city of Siófok or the region, but further on a national basis.'

So is this going to be yet another 'Bilbao'? Looking at Tarnóczky Tamás Attila's design, the conclusion would have to be 'no'. Luckily. The design will probably attract a lot of attention, but it is certainly not loud. Despite its large scale (12,500 square metres), the complex looks well proportioned and endeavours to obtain a human scale. The request for a multifunctional, transformable exhibition centre is answered with different types of spaces. This is also reflected in the different facade compositions.