We first met our customers (Anikó and Bálint) in the summer of 2013 who wanted to expand their home due to their growing family. Our task was to build a whole new storey and a ground floor terrace after removing the hip roof. The family has outlined their requirements for the rooms, however we were given a free hand in the design and appearance.
There was enough time for planning, the customers spent a lot of time mulling over their new home, and we have also redesigned the house multiple times. While one week we thought that something is a good solution, the other week we thought the opposite.
The architectural concept formed after the initial cooperation. The upstairs behaves as the extension of the ground floor - rather than being an addition - and uses the same materials. A high ceiling corridor is connecting the new storey to the existing spaces.
The house expands while keeping the traditional order of plinth, walls and roof. There is an overhanging mass on the first floor that breaks the simple shape and adds a few extra square meters while strengthening the corner position of the building. The lath cladding of the overhanging mass is a colourful patch to the grey plastered house.
The existing front stairs without railing are being a part of the plinth and its new solid parapet is also "growing out" of it strongly defining the entrance. The terrace is also an extension of the plinth towards the backyard.
The new windows of the first floor are following the unordered positioning of the existing ones on the ground floor, giving the façade a playful look. This positioning of the openings is highlighted by flashes of white patches on the grey surfaces.
Our aim was to design a house that can not only provide appropriate living space for its tenants, but also has architectural values after being built.
architects: Gergő Batizi-Pócsi Gergő, Péter Batizi-Pócsi /batlabarchitects/
consultant architects: Ildikő Sebők, György Selényi /KetteS műterem/
supporting structures: Gergely Facskó
photo: Norbert Juhász /juhasz norbert photography/