Friedrich Barrack
Complete refurbishment&
remodelling of a listed building
Győr, Hungary, 2007
The site of the former Friedrich Barrack in Győr is a unique area of the small town. Even though the individualbuildings themselves are not much of special interest, thanks to the way theyoccupy the site, and enclose the assembly square between them, the ensemble islisted as the country’s cultural heritage.
Complete refurbishment&
remodelling of a listed building
Győr, Hungary, 2007
The site of the former Friedrich Barrack in Győr is a unique area of the small town. Even though the individualbuildings themselves are not much of special interest, thanks to the way theyoccupy the site, and enclose the assembly square between them, the ensemble islisted as the country’s cultural heritage.
Our client was committed to revitalize the site as awhole, giving all the buildings a new function, of which project we dealt withthe refurbishment and remodelling of the former dormitory buildings which wereto be turned into office and commercial buildings.
Given the nature of the ensemble the existing facadesfacing towards the assembly square were not to be changed, but as the interiorswere not valuable in their original form, we were free to make any change inthe inside. The client’s key requirement was to turn the former militarybuildings into an exceptional contemporary scheme, and to extend the existingfloor area.
The design addresses the key requirements byintroducing two “bubble” in the existing interior, which not only createadditional floor space, but also redefine the inside in a fresh and excitingway, and srenghten to the building’soriginal character. These new “bubbles”use a contemporary language in contrast with the historical buildings’ wellknown articulation, to create inspiring spaces, and a sense of identity whichwas lost due to the continuous alterations of the past decades.
As the existing building envelope was not subject ofchange, not even to upgrade its thermalperformance, the new “bubbles” in the interior played a key role in therefurbished building’s heating and ventilation strategy. Together with largeglazed roofs, the internal glass surfaces were not only to maximize the naturaldaylight and solar gain within the building, but also contributed to thebuilding’s ventilation system which is basedon basic physics, and therefore less dependant on fossil energy.
