Hasta La Ideas

The 365 wooden sledges used to construct this Christmas tree in Budapest by Hungarian designers Hello Wood will be given to a local children’s charity following the festive period (+ movie).

Hello Wood designed the 11-metre-tall structure for a site in front of the Palace of Arts in Budapest and spent one week assembling the wooden frame then fixing the sledges to it.

Two weeks after Christmas the tree will be disassembled and the sledges distributed to local children living in homes operated by SOS Children’s Village, a charity that helps families care for their children and provides accommodation and support for orphaned and abandoned children around the world.

“We wanted to create a temporary installation, which is not only spectacular, but its main elements remain usable so they can be distributed among kids,” explained Andras Huszar of Hello Wood. “For us, this is the point of social awareness: you don’t only show something, but at the same time you give something unique.”

A steel base weighing 4.5 tons anchors the wooden framework, which is made from sections that were part assembled off-site and lifted into place using a crane.

The sledges were then fixed to the frame by a team who used abseiling equipment to suspend themselves from the top of the tree as they worked their way around the conical structure.

“We were thinking a lot about what the secret of an original Christmas decoration is,” David Raday of Hello Wood said. “The sledges were the good choice, because they are symbolising Christmas, but free from the commercial Christmas clichés and the general bad taste that comes with them.”

Visitors are able to step inside the installation and look up at the geometric arrangement of wooden struts, which creates a pattern that resembles the fractal form of a snowflake.

At night the sculpture is illuminated by spotlights positioned around its base that project different colours onto its surface.

Photography is by Daniel Dömölky.

Here’s some more information from Hello Wood:

Hello Wood designers build christmas tree to sledge away

Inhabitants of SOS Children’s Village receive unique present

Designers of Budapest based Hello Wood built a huge christmas tree made of 365 sledges in front of the Palace of Arts at the riverbank of the Danube. It is an exceptional piece of art and architecture marking the Christmas period. After the holiday season all the sledges will be given to the kids living in the homes of SOS Children’s Village thanks to Hungarian Telekom.

Christmas is coming. Lights are flashing in the streets, people are carrying big red and green boxes, bright plastic snowflakes are hanging in the hall of shopping malls. Big companies send out their messengers to take presents to everybody, from the youngest to the oldest, supposing that some chocolate bars, candies or a funny t-shirt can cheer them up.

Hungarian designers of Hello Wood, known for their social awareness and tasteful approach, rethought the idea of Christmas present, and put it in the right context. They built a huge Christmas tree made of 365 sledges, which will be given to children two weeks after Christmas.

“We wanted to create a temporary installation, which is not only spectacular, but its main elements remain usable so they can be distributed among kids. For us, this is the point of social awareness: you don’t only show something, but at the same time you give something unique” – says Andras Huszar, architect of Hello Wood about the installation.

The Christmas tree was built in a week. Visitors can step in and have a look at the construction from the inside. The base is made of steel, it weights 4,5 tons, so the construction is perfectly safe from the heavy winds of winter. The four stems of the installation hold 325 kilograms each. First, the carpenters of Hello Wood made the 10,5 meters tall wooden frame, which was brought to the scene, where it was put together with the help of a crane and the use of welding techniques. Then came the alpinists of Hello Wood, who were working on the installation for four consecutive days, fixing the sledges on the wooden frame while hanging down from the top of the tree. Although the installation is pretty heavy, it looks lightsome: if you step inside, it feels like you are in the middle of a huge snowflake.

Maxim Bakos, one of the founders of Hello Wood originally wanted to create a whole forest made of sledges, then came the idea to create a tree instead of a forest. “We were thinking a lot about what the secret of an original Christmas decoration is. The sledges were the good choice, because they are symbolising Christmas, but free from the commercial Christmas clichés and the general bad taste that comes with them.” – says David Raday, creative leader of Hello Wood, one of the originators of the concept.

Hello Wood is best known for its flagship event, a one week long art camp curated by founder Peter Pozsar every summer. It is not by chance that they co-operated with Palace Of Arts in creating the installation. One of the goals of the Palace of Arts is to work together with young and creative designers and architects. The installation of Hello Wood is more than just a nice piece of young creativity, because thanks to Hungarian Telekom, the sledges will be given to the inhabitants of the SOS Children’s Village.

Concept: David Raday, Andras Huszar, Peter Pozsar, Maxim Bakos
Architectural plan: Andras Huszar, Peter Pozsar, Adam Fogarassy
Design: Benjamin Szilagyi
Statics: Gabor Csefalvay
Realisation: Hello Wood
Lights: Tamas Kiraly, Gabor Agocs (Philips Hungary)
Partner: Gabor Zoboki (ZDA)

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from sledges appeared first on Dezeen.

Hungarian studio Budapesti Műhely has restored the interior of one of Budapest’s oldest bathhouses by replacing the vaulted walls of the warm water hall and shower room, leaving the bubble-shaped backs exposed (+ slideshow).

The Rácz Thermal Bath was first constructed in the sixteenth century and extended 300 years later, when architect Miklós Ybl added the newer romantic-style bath halls and connecting shower corridor.

Parts of the building were destroyed in World War II and the architects decided not to rebuild the brick walls behind the new vaults, instead leaving them exposed so that visitors can see the curved structures lining the hallway.

“As a result of our method, the richly formed interiors have been renovated by the architectural tools of their times, but the halls have received frivolous shapes never seen before,” explained architect Tamás Dévény.

Other new walls have been created with transparent glass to maximise views through the building.

The architects noticed that round skylights are a motif that unites the different periodical styles of the rooms, so added more to the renovated spaces.

“Through these holes both the sunlight and the artificial light can reach the building’s lower levels and the different floors can cause strange light effects to the other floors above or under each other,” said Dévény.

Despite the contemporary additions, Dévény says they still used traditional building techniques. “There is no electrical light, no heating system or mechanical ventilation in the Turkish bath,” he said. “Also the water pressure in the Ybl Bathing Halls is at the same level as it was possible to make in 1865.”

Other baths we’ve featured include a Jewish bathhouse in Mexico and thermal baths in Switzerland.

Photography is by Tamas Bujnovszky.

Here’s some more information from writer Brigitta Bugya:

Renovation of the Rácz Thermal Bath
Location: Budapest, Hungary

Routed back to the 16th century, to the Ottoman times, when the central and southern territories of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom was ruled by the Turkish Empire for 150 years, the Rácz Thermal Bath is one of the oldest bathing building in Budapest. Heading towards completion, its renovation shows the original spatial appearance precisely how the different historical periods layered above each other and formed a complex arrangement through centuries. Led by the architectural firm Budapesti Műhely, the reconstruction paid attention not just to the building’s overall image, but also to the original technical inventions of the Bath.

Historical background

Situated at the foot of Gellért Hill, the Bath was founded probably during the ruling time of Sokollu Mustafa Pasha around 1560. The Turkish bath, the oldest part of the building, stayed fortunately unharmed when the long Turkish siege was over after the Battle of Buda (1686). As a result, the building’s ownership went for a while to the Austrian Kaiserlich Chamber and then in the 1860s to the Heinrich family. The wealthy family commissioned Miklós Ybl, a renowned architect of his time, to renovate (1864-65) and to extend the building with several new bathing parts (1869-70) in his romantic style. But before any extension could be made, the Heinrich family had to purchase the necessary ground floor areas in small plots one by one, since this part of Buda was a densely populated area at that time. This caused certain suddenness in the extension method and a highly complex spatial structure. Thus, the recent renovation had to solve not only the reconstruction of different styles, but also to harmonically unify the overlapping historical building parts with the new facilities.

The renovation

The building has been severely damaged during the World War II bombings and its condition became even worse due to the senselessly ordered demolitions of the 1960’s and to the decades of delay in the renovation process. Started finally in 2006, the work focused on the meticulous reconstruction of the original historical spaces and also of the Turkish era’s, the Baroque periods’ and the 19th century civic world’s bathing experience. Therefore, the architects renovated not only the original use of materials and the ornamental motifs with an extra care, but also the showering, lighting and heating techniques, the water’s pressure in accordance with the original customs of the different bathing halls. Thus the different historical times will become really sensible for the guests after the upcoming opening.

Contemporary architectural tools

White vaults in the newly built circulation spaces – Designed by Ybl, the Moresque Shower-hall and the connecting Warm Water Cupola-hall were completely destroyed by the above mentioned demolitions of the 1960s. Rebuilding these connecting parts, the architects’ intention was to maintain an unharmed historical experience in the building, meanwhile clearly expressing that these walls are not the original ones. Therefore, they decided upon building a 1:1 scale model according to the original plans and using a thin concrete shell structure (with a15 centimetres width) instead of the old brick walls with the variable thickness and straightened external surfaces as they were made in the 19th century’s building practice. Thus, the end result shows the interiors of the spaces in the same way as they used to look; meanwhile the exteriors got such vaulted shapes that have not existed before.

Transparency – The bath’s restored parts are joined by glass facades, corridors and internal spaces with glass walls. With this solution the several centuries old spaces received such an architectural frame that reveal as much as possible from the listed building’s historical values. Giving a harmonic overall appearance to the building the architects used a recurring motif throughout the whole building to connect the different historical periods’ styles in the complex spatial structure: a rounded skylight. Acting like a kind of reinterpretation of the Turkish bath’s opeion, the rounded, glassed skylights are organised in a regular raster and occur in some parts of the new building parts’ floor-space.

Project: Rácz Thermal Bath
Location: Hungary, 1013 Budapest, Hadnagy Street 8-10.

Leading architects: Tamás Dévényi, Csaba Valkai, Anikó Varga, Péter Kis
General design: Tamás Dévényi – Budapesti Műhely

Leading architects: Tamás Dévényi, Csaba Valkai, Anikó Varga, Péter Kis

Associate architects: Zoltán Bun, Gábor Balázsa, Orsolya Máté, Eszter Mihály, Donát Szakmári, Tamás Ükös, Viktor Vadász
Structural Engineering: András Szabó, Tamás Tamássy
Mechanical Engineering: Ervin Barta
Electrical Engineering: Ferenc Haasz, Gábor Somogyi
Landscape: Adrienne Szalkai
Public Utilities: Bálint Simon
Archaeologist: Adrienn Papp
Historical research: Ferenc Bor, György Bartos

Year designed: 2007

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by Budapesti Műhely appeared first on Dezeen.

With its circular perforations, this staircase in a Budapest house by Croatian architect Biljana Jovanovic resembles a wedge of Swiss cheese.

Aptly named Emmental Stairs, it is located at the centre of the house and hovers just above the floor in the ground floor living room.

Treads are set at alternating angles to relieve the necessary steep incline of the staircase.

Photography is by Gerardo Altemir.

More stories about staircases on Dezeen »

More projects in Hungary on Dezeen »

Here is a description from the designer:

Emmental Stairs

The Emmental stairs was designed for a young creative family with an equisite design taste and an eye for details, and their two children. They were just starting the refurbishment of their apartment and wanted interior stairs that would harmonize with the historic ambiance of the apartment and their aesthetic requirements, but also add an extra touch to their living space.

Since it is centrally located in the apartment, it inevitably had to be treated as the focal points of the space. Its suspended encasement divides living room from dining room and kitchen. It provides certain level of intimacy without isolating these spaces. The circular perforations on the sides let the sunlight seep through, creating surfaces that change the dynamics of the whole interior. The motif for circles was inspired by large windows that another focus point of the apartment. As they remind a lot of holes in cheese, the project was named Emmental Stairs.

Apart from being used for its original function, this “object” features a playful touch for children as well. It is used as an inspirational toy, that boosts their imagination and develops their creativity. Due to technical restraints the slope of the stairs had to be kept quite steep. This was somewhat eased through usage of angled treads that complements the visual effect of the stairs. About designer: Croatian architect and designer living and working in Budapest, HungaryLocation: Budapest, Hungary

Year of completion: 2011
Designer: Biljana Jovanović
Construction: Gergő Markó

See also:

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Paris apartment by MAAJ Architectes	Origami Stair by Bell Phillips	House Antero de Quental by Manuel Maia Gomes

This underground railway station with criss-crossing concrete beams is by Hungarian firm Spora Architects and currently under construction in Budapest.

Fővám tér forms part of a new metro line, comprising 10 stations, that will connect south Buda with the city centre.

Three levels of reinforced concrete beams rise up through a void above the platforms.

At ground level a new square will be created with large glazed areas to admit natural light down into the station.

All photographs are by Tamás Bujnovszky.

Here’s some more from the architects:

“Fővám tér” – UNDERGROUND STATION BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

The new metro line planned in Budapest is to connect South-Buda with the city center. 10 stations will be constructed in the first step. Fővám tér station is on the left side of the Danube river.

“Fővám tér” station is a twin station of the Szent Gellért tér, similarily with a complex stucture composed of a cut-and-cover box and tunnels.

The complexity of the structure is even greater, since here a new tunnel for the tramline and a new pedestrian subway has to be constructed, as well. Having the new underground station, Fővám tér will become a new gateway of the historic downtown of Pest.

The boxes are supported by three levels of reinforced concrete beams, the structure of which will be similar to a net.

There are three layers of this network, which keep the walls of the box like a bone-structure.The design of the box is determined by this sight of concrete net-structure.

Due to the construction technology, huge rooms have been created in the inner spaces of the stations. The section of the space is proportional to cross section of average street in Pest , built in the eclectic period in the 19th century, so the station can be interpreted as a inverse street or square under the surface.

Playing on natural light has been an important aspect in the architectural formation of the entire line.

The main goal is –apart from giving enough light of course- to attend on the interior design and show the architectural forming as much as possible. On the surface of Fővám tér a huge square will be created without traffic.

This will allow of locating glassy, crystalloid skylights, which will let the sunlight reach the platform level, emphasizing the unique character of the beam network.

Project credits:
Project: M4 metro line SZT.GELLÉRT TÉR, FŐVÁM TÉR UNDERGROUND STATIONS, BUDAPEST
Location: center of Budapest, Quay of River Danube, Hungary
Client: BKV Rt. DBR Metró Projekt Igazgatóság (Budapest Transport Ltd. DBR Metro Project Directory)
Year designed: 2005
Year built: 2007-2011
Status: under construction
Budget: cca. 20 million Euro/ stationvolume: 7100m2/

Stationdesign: sporaarchitects Ltd. – Tibor Dékány, Sándor Finta, Ádám Hatvani, Orsolya Vadászteam: Zsuzsa Balogh, Attilla Korompay, Bence Várhidi
General design: Palatium Stúdió Kft. -Zoltán Erő, Balázs Csapó
Construction, installations: consortium of Főmterv, Uvaterv, Mott-Macdonald
Aplied art: Tamás Komoróczky
Photo: Tamás Bujnovszky

Click above for larger image

Click above for larger image

See also:

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