Búzaszem School, Gymnasium

There is the false reality… And there is the state of restoration, the "pure source" from which folk song, but inherently poetry, inherently creation itself, originate. It is old, even primordial, yet always new. It is increasingly difficult, almost impossible, to discover. Salamin’s truth stems from here. In his work, modernity and being contemporary demand nothing. Yet, there is no antiquarianism, no "brooding over the past," and absolutely no historicism. Neither Metaverse-style nor nostalgic kitsch. What does exist is a self-evident, pure, Hungarian (Carpathian Basin) aesthetic. Brick walls plastered with real plaster, vaults, good proportions, masses, roofs… The Búzaszem is a Catholic, yet foundation-run, autonomous institution where the subject of digital culture (which is an oxymoron) is practiced through board games that aid algorithmic thinking, rather than teaching children machine fixation; meanwhile, folk music, folk dance, and craftsmanship are integrated into the regular timetable. There are celebrations observed together (with parents and teachers), joint gardening, and shared construction work… The new gymnasium wing was also built in this spirit… This essentially meant pairing a basic classroom unit (a kind of module that can be replicated without making the whole thing monotonous) with the gymnasium. The ground-floor dining hall is about the size of one and a half classroom units (with the omnipresent "apse" at its end), a slightly broken-lined, barrel-vaulted space… The gymnasium itself is a truly modest facility; one might say it blends seamlessly into the ensemble. Which is a great achievement. Anyone who has ever designed a school knows that the gymnasium is the most difficult function to "tame." Here, however, this was accomplished beautifully… it is simple and intimate in its proportions. I have seen monumental, grand gymnasiums before, but a cozy, family-scale one, I think, for the first time. And when I speak of Hungarian proportions, I am referring to this calm, human scale. Through modern eyes, one might call it small. Everything here is quite small, yet not cramped. It feels good to enter. There are white-washed reinforced concrete pillars, but alongside the beautiful vaults, the school also features flat ceilings and plasterboard roof surfaces; there are modern elements too, like drop-down blinds or solar panels on the roof. They do not disturb the overall picture. But far more important than this is that when the crane operation failed, about forty fathers grabbed the curved glued laminated timber beams of the gymnasium and carried them in by hand from the street…

(Excerpts from the writing of Ábel Kováts, Országépítő 2026/1)