Zen Garden Resort Zanka by Másfél Építész Stúdió in Hungary

Project: Zen Garden Resort Zánka Architects: Másfél Építész Stúdió Location: Zanka, Hungary Area: 592 sq ft Year: 2019 Photographs: Péter Koronczi – Px2lab Architectural Visualisation

Zen Garden Resort Zanka

The Zen Garden Resort Zánka is a resort complex in Hungary located by Lake Balaton. Architects Másfél Építész Stúdió rethought the traditional A-frame house, common in the region, and created high-class country cottages. Interiors were designed with spaciousness in mind, featuring a staircase for easy access to the upper floor, large glass surfaces in the living room, and a solid surface on the main facade for a more geometric appearance. The houses were built using lightweight wooden construction and clad with natural slate.

The Zen Garden Resort Zánka is located by Lake Balaton, within a resort complex previously owned by a company with a main focus on wood processing for the past 30 years. Originally, the resort consisted of light wooden houses built in harmony with the natural environment. As the new owner took control over the complex, much of its light structure had already been lost, and only a few buildings could be preserved and renovated. However, from the initial design phase it was evident that good traditions had already taken root on site and should be further developed.

From the tradition of light construction, one type of building most aligned with the owner's functional and financial strategic goals was the A-frame house. This architectural form has been widespread along Lake Balaton over the last 60 years, with even one such house already existing in the resort. In the past, these houses were built due to low construction costs, and thus evoked mixed feelings in Hungarian society. For us, it was an interesting challenge to rethink these A-frame houses and propose high-class country cottages in this outdated architectural form.

The first aspect we wanted to change was making the interior as spacious as possible while maintaining the original house dimensions. Old A-frame houses usually featured unpleasant stairs instead of steps. We designed a type of staircase that ensures easy access to the upper floor without taking up too much space. We preserved the typical large glass surface in the living room. Thanks to good connection with the outside world, the main living space of the building can appear larger than it actually is.

On the main facade above the living area, unlike traditional form, we created a solid surface, changing the overall appearance of the traditional building. This enclosed surface gives the structure a more geometric look. On the other hand, we aimed to create as large glass surfaces as possible.

The primary material for the building was natural slate. This material can be used both for roof and facade, enhancing the geometric character of the building. The houses were fully constructed using lightweight wooden framework.

-Másfél Építész Stúdió