Architecture MA

Váradi Botond

supervisor
Marián Balázs
consultant
Tihanyi Dominika
thesis consultant
German Kinga
masterwork
The Garden
The garden is a major spatial component of human existence, which, along with the house, was people's home space. Since humans have moved to cities, the garden has become detached from the house and is now seen as a luxury, a private garden, or as community gardens. Detachment from the house does not simply remove the spatiality of the garden, but also means the suspension of the rituals connected to the garden. These rituals used to define aspects of human existence that are particularly missing from the everyday life of our contemporary world. In my thesis, I imagine an idealized space that tries to give an architectural response to the situation of the gardens outlined in my thesis, but at the same time considers the economic, social and political challenges of contemporary urban architecture. It is the creation of a space, or a group of spaces, that dissolves the ever-changing tension of the urban fabric. Neoliberal urban policy and the urban structure that is emerging from it are pushing the urban dweller into an isolated position, where residents cannot find the space they need to process the stimuli around them and relax. The situation for urban gardens is not easier either, as their lifetime depends on how long brownfield sites are left vacant, which is temporary; the community cultivating the garden, or the community nurtured in the garden, is permanently forced to move on, like a tenant. Deprived of a home, existence is deprived of stability, which is, however, a precondition for looking after one's inner garden. The status of 'tenant' puts the garden in a subordinate position and the stability of tenants' home is determined by the speculative nature of urban development. The disappearance or relocation of gardens disrupts the spatial experience that could create the awareness of spatiality in the garden, which provides the cosiness of space. My thesis initiates the creation of an urban garden that is able to retain its permanent home, but at the same time does not lose the free organisational structure of urban gardens. To this end, the garden must become an essential element of everyday urban life. A suitable location for this would be the existing and partly demolished buildings (10 Dohány utca, 8-10 Síp utca) on the plot next to the synagogue in Dohány utca, which also form an authentic urban enclosure. The character of the buildings is dissolved into the mass of buildings that characterise the city centre, but the imagined life that takes place between them is possible to explore. Compared to the brick buildings, the open space is filled with a point-like prefabricated pillar frame that provides space, in addition to consumption, for houses, markets, production and education. Both the pillar frame and the brick buildings are surmounted by greenhouses, which not only provide production, but also form an integral part of the mechanical engineering and operation of the houses. This way, the garden attached to the building plays a functional role in the operation of the house; it becomes an inseparable element. In this respect, the greenhouse increases production in the city, strengthening the city's economic autonomy. At the same time, the greenhouse can be considered as a spatial element whose enclosed character fosters the enclosed quality of the garden and that of the existence experienced in it. In my opinion, this spatiality differs from the existing forms of the urban garden, since its planting into the urban fabric is not a temporary solution, but takes place in an area that was originally dedicated to it. The greenhouse as a medium enriches the nomadic character of the urban garden with a new form. By moving away from its temporary form, the urban garden provides a permanent home and autonomy for the community living in the greenhouse in the ever-changing urban landscape.
thesis
Urban gardens
Autonomous territories of urban communities?
My dissertation shows that the garden is a key spatial phenomenon in the history of mankind and has influenced us beyond aspects of social, economic and cultural life throughout history. The garden has an essentially permanent productive and aesthetic function, and its impact on society cannot be ignored. The community building feature of the garden plays a particularly important role in the city of the 21st century, which can be solely interpreted as a product of consumerism. Seeking refuge in the garden and getting away from technology can also be interpreted as a paradox of our existence. The state-of-the-art technology of the 21st century has an extraordinary impact on all aspects of life and although it serves humanity, people are not able to keep up with it. We become increasingly aloof from its understanding. Merely relying on “modern” technology puts us further away from understanding ourselves; in the vulnerability of production, the individual cannot enjoy a credible existence. The urban garden provides a spatial refuge for this extreme intellectual displacement.