NARTARCHITECTS proposes glossy cube on crater for csontváry museum in hungary

NARTARCHITECTS proposes glossy cube on crater for csontváry museum in hungary
(above) the project aims to find a worthy location 

tivadar csontváry kosztka is said to be one of the greatest hungarian painters, not only known for his great technical skills and his importance in the development of art but also acknowledged as a herald of an important spiritual message by his contemporaries. also, his teachings about humanity and nations as a cosmic creature transcended through is lifetime and provided others with broad interpretations for future generations. honoring him, NARTARCHITECTS has proposed a museum placed on a crater in hungary.

morning fog

budapest-based NARTARCHITECTS studio’s primary objective is to implement, create, and design exclusive contemporary architectural projects within high-level requirements. when developing the proposal for the csontváry museum in hungary they asked themselves about the main message they wanted to transmit and the location that could fit it the most, as they believe this artist is a unique person and they should avoid ending up with just another gallery. they aimed to find a place to set the structure that could represent the legend, to where culturally-curious people would want to travel to.

the project wants to become a pilgrimage destination

opposed to the ‘plaza-museum’ strategy, they searched for a site that is interesting and symbolic enough to become a pilgrimage destination. in the outskirts of pécs, next to a lake in a crater of a former coal mine, NARTARCHITECTS found a dramatic ambience that suits the museum. the atmosphere of the building is created by the contrast of an enclosed dark core and a floating, sun-drenched communication system. this tension applies to the structure too: the ferroconcrete heart of the building is surrounded by the lighter steal lead bearing structure.

contrast

the coal mine crater in itself looks dramatic; this phenomenon is situated in the woods, where a turquoise lake in the middle is surrounded by 70-meter high, steep walls. the museum and its context generate a strong visual tension similar to the emotional one present in csontbáry’s paintings. the white and glossy floating cube on the top of the crater encloses the reddish orange heart of the building that recalls the glittering feel of his most famous paintings. the revitalization of the coal mine can hopefully be interpreted by future generations as the painter’s symbolic message echoing from the past.

interior

visitors enjoying the painter’s work

‘the lone cedar’ by csontváry (1907)
194×248 cm

façades

museum section

second level 

pécs site plan 

csontváry in the world

project info:

architects: csaba kovács, tamás máté, áron vass-eysen
project year: 2016
location: pécs, hungary
architect collaborator: daniel gerse
graphics: nartarchitects
client: hungarian government 

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: juliana neira | designboom