Holiday Villa, Zebegény

Then came the city-dweller, who now had some free time, who marvelled at this breathtaking beauty and wished to admire it from his home or holiday cottage. The sight of the great river flowing majestically, the wide-screen panorama of the river, provides plenty of material for associations and reflections; thus, the city’s intellectuals, seeking spiritual inspiration or relaxation, built their homes specifically to take in this view.

The Maróti Villa, situated on the row of villas, and the Sipőcz Villa on the neighbouring plot – both built according to the plans and ideas of the sculptor and architect Géza Maróti – had already set the tone; all that remained was to determine the relationship between the plot and the view that unfolded before it.

With the outbuilding situated at the corner of the plot, the architect skilfully ‘ties together’ the gables of the neighbouring residential houses, which have a rustic character, whilst setting apart the villa – which differs from them in both function and scale – from these. The single-storey, tightly structured building with a cross-shaped floor plan does not seek to employ the shock-value techniques so fashionable today; yet the terrace roof, which is cut at an angle and responds sensitively to the line of the Danube, introduces just enough playfulness into the house’s contours as one might expect from a contemporary building, whilst remaining unobtrusive.

The building serves as a good example of how the expected level of integration can be achieved even whilst catering to new architectural requirements that run counter to the historic settlement structure. Lifestyles, perceived or real changes that transform the surface of life, and new demands can all be channelled in a positive direction if one understands the fundamental, unchanging questions that lie at the heart of existence and is able to create useful guidelines for oneself from them.

(Written by László Kuli, excerpts, Országépítő 2018/1)