The new house of István Bényei, György Hoffmann, Ádám Lukács-Nagy and Dóra Sáfrán is located in a densely built-up area of Budapest, and this situation called for a range of imaginative solutions to a number of problems.
Standing above the city on a corner plot of about 2,000 square metres in the hills of Buda, the new house of Bényei Studio foreshadowed many things: On one hand, the house’s designers had to create the intimacy necessary to ensure the peace and quiet of its inhabitants, blocking direct views from the street, while at the same time they had to take into account the fact that there are several other apartment blocks above the house, whose residents have a view of the more sheltered back garden and the roof.
“I like a garden to be multi-zoned, like a living room.” – begins István Bényei, the house’s lead designer. The building was set back slightly on the plot to allow for a larger front garden in front of the building, while keeping the private back garden large enough. The positioning of the house, which is based on simple forms, was chosen with the streetscape in mind: “I think it is selfish to put the house at the back of the plot for the sake of the panorama, because it breaks up the streetscape.” – István Bényei explained. A pavilion and a playground have been added to the back garden. The designers intended to have at least two or three places in the garden where a large group could sit, and where children could use the space freely. “This is how you can create a little empire, you never just look at the boundaries of the house”, he adds. ……