in the center of the hungarian town of dabas, adam balog blends modernism and vernacular architecture within the semi-detached house ‘klapka’. the project includes two L-shaped apartments clad with white plastered walls, a wood-covered barn-like garage, and a storage wing, all smoothly integrated into the local traditional architecture.
view from the street
all images courtesy of balazs danyi
‘semi-detached house’ by adam balog functions as an experimental project rethinking how people live in the hungarian countryside. the town adopts a village-like character, while the streets are very heterogeneous. taking advantage of these surroundings, the dwelling utilizes the maximum available building space and emerges as an urban atrium house.
the entrance from the inner courtyard
the L-shaped plans of the two dwellings frame an inner courtyard, a garage, and storage, creating a U-form. the shape of the plans draws influence from the 1960s and 1970s hungarian examples with similar floor plan typology (L-form), such as the patio house from roland rainer in puchenau, lajos mátis in szombathely and ildikó sz. buzás in veszprém. the inner courtyard is set in the middle of the house and is divided into two parts by a wall. the garage and storage wing serves as a barn-like element, where the wind flows through the wooden slats. meanwhile, the materiality of the house merges with the surroundings.
inner courtyard with the barn-like garage
the architect designed the plan floors asymmetrical, fulfilling the different needs of the clients and the local building regulations. apartment ‘A’ serves the demands of a family of four. furthermore, the dwelling features a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, two child’s rooms with a corridor, an extra bathroom, and a wardrobe. at the same time, a big kitchen-dining-living area occupies the middle of the apartment.
inner courtyard
apartment ‘B’ includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen-dinning area, while the living room is separated from the dining zone, functioning also as a guest room. at the same time, this dwelling features a summer kitchen and a small cosmetic studio. the living and dining spaces in both houses allow plenty of light to penetrate the rooms during the summertime.
the terrace of apartment ‘B’
detail of the street façade
the open gate of the garage
the kitchen of the apartment ‘B’ with view to the inner courtyard
kitchen of the apartment ‘B’
transparency of the garage in the evening
floor plan of the semi-detached house
axonometrical plan of the semi-detached house
project info:
name: semi-detached house ‘klapka’
architect: adam balog – architect
location: dabas, hungary
total floor area apartment ‘A’: 120 sqm (1292 sqft) + 20 sqm (215 sqft) storage
total floor area apartment ‘B’: 105 sqm (1130 sqft) + 40 sqm (430 sqft) storage
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina petridou | designboom
