A Golden Hall for the Olympic Champion in Budapest

Budapest II. kerület, Hungary

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A Golden Hall for the Olympic Champion in Budapest

Budapest II. kerület, Hungary

Firm

A4 Studio

Type

Hospitality + Sport › Sports Center

YEAR

2013

SIZE

5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

The Vasas Sportclub is one of the oldest and most successful sport clubs in Hungary. It was founded in 1911, in Budapest, and boasts 45 Olympic Gold Medalists and 40 World Champions.

Of the 30 sports at the Vasas Sportclub, one is fencing, which has nine Olympic Champions. The latest victory was in 2012, London, when Áron Szilágyi won the gold medal in saber. Áron has been training here — in the almost 40-year-old hall — since he was nine. The hall is located in the green area of Budapest. The designs of the renovation were made by A4 Studio.

The design focuses on the presence of natural light in the hall, and on the visual connection between the interior and the surrounding outdoor sport park. The zigzag-shaped, north-oriented, and front-high glazed surfaces let light in without reflection. In this way, the training or the competition is ensured not to be disturbed.

In its external appearance we used only gold-colored metal, referring to the former and present successes of the club. As the sun goes around the golden color of the “hall-sculpture,” the light changes hour by hour, day by day, season to season. The past and present champions are also illustrated on the facade. Lastly, the front-high figure of Áron Szilágyi illustrates the exact moment in which he won the Olympic gold medal.