Project: Holiday Cottage
Architects: Tóth Project Architect Office
Location: Kapuvár, Hungary
Area: 538 sq ft
Photographs by: Tamás Bujnovszky
Holiday Cottage by Tóth Project Architect Office
Tóth Project Architect Office have designed an amazingly idyllic getaway Holiday Cottage in Hungary, on a plot located along the shore of a lake in Kapuvár.
It is formed within a simple rectangular shell made entirely of larch wood. It opens up towards the lake as well as towards the road on the opposite side. The opening is covered in glass walls which frames spectacular views of the nearby lake.
It is always a big challenge to design a house of the lake-shore.
We wanted to create something special, something unique. The location itself is idyllic, when we are there, we feel a special atmosphere. Being closed from the noise of the city, closed from the external world it is the island of quiet.
We imagined a house which is an organic part of its environment, soundly communicating with it. It has a simple form, ground-plan, materials. Indeed, the building is a matchbox standing on one side of it which is pierced through in the middle. Simpleness appears not only in the form of the building but also in the moderate application of the restricted assortment of the natural and artificial materials. The whole building is made of larch, free from any useless decoration. In addition to the metal sheet roofing and the large glass surface only a horizontal, gradually fuming plank covering, as well as at the storage part a split stack of wood of small texture can be seen. Because of lifting out from the surrounding gravel layer it produces a floating effect.
The ground-plan layout is characterized by transparency and fineness. It consists of two main units: one of them is a central room for living and dining functions together with a shower-toilet unit. The other one is the terrace open in two directions but roofed, together with a storage room beside. The central space has a full glass surface in the direction of the lake; the other internal surfaces are covered with panelled wood covering which hides the storages and the kitchen as well. The building is protected from warming up by means of outer fabric roller-blinds, when they are rolled down the building has another life in operation and in its appearance as well: in such cases the terrace is totally protected so it is an individual outdoor living-room.
The sitting-meditating place beside the fireplace serves also as a wind-protecting wall. The large landing stage, appearing in almost a steel grey colour, together with the rusty plate buttress behind radiates a special calmness.
