Where is the place of nature-responsive architecture in our world today?

Our architecture is intimately connected to the world around it, and organic architecture therefore places nature at the centre of its thinking. The preservation and revitalisation of an architectural style inspired by nature and based on tradition is an important part of national identity.The conference on 13 December 2023, organised by the Kós Károly Association, entitled Building the Country, will focus on whether the future of Hungarian architectural culture can be linked to its past.

In the first part of the conference on "Nation Building" organised by the Kós Károly Association of Hungarian Organic Architects, the speakers will place the architecture of Ödön Lechner, Károly Kós and Imre Makovecz (Eszter Baldavári, Eszter Dénes, Enikő Harmath - Gyetvay) in a historical context. The regionalist architecture of the Lake Balaton Highlands, Tokaj-Hegyalja and Transylvania will be presented (Péter Tóth, Gábor Erhardt, Győző Esztány), and Ferenc Salamin, President of the National College of Architects, will speak about the role and responsibilities of architects. Speakers from abroad - French, Swedish and Romanian - will talk about healing architecture and the challenges of architectural thinking in the classical architectural tradition (Volker Ehrlich, Eric Norin, Ana Maria Goilav). State Secretary Regő Lánszki will present the new thinking behind the "Hungarian Architecture Act", which aims to create the conditions for a quality Hungarian architecture that is self-identical but responsive to the spirit of the times and international trends, following the spirit of Ödön Lechner, Károly Kós and Imre Makovecz. Attila Turi, the recently elected president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, will talk about the importance of the co-arts in contemporary architecture. Robert Gutowski's lecture on the reconstruction of the Buda Castle Palace, which has caused a stir in the field of monument protection, will conclude the day-long programme.

The aim of the conference is to present the recent achievements of contemporary Hungarian organic architecture and to highlight the tasks and challenges ahead, so that the process started by our predecessors more than a hundred years ago can be continued in the next hundred years.

Participation in the event is free of charge, but registration is required, which can be done on the following page.

Programme

• 9:00 - 9:30 registration
• 9:30 - 9:45 Opening remarks Sándor Dévényi Kossuth and Ybl Prize-winning architect, National Artist of the Nation
• 9:45 - 10:10 Eszter Baldavári: National aspirations in the architecture and architectural history of Károly Kós
• 10:10 - 10:35 Eszter Dénes: Parallels and intersections
• 10:35 - 11:00 Enikő Harmath-Gyetvay: Old and new familiar faces: buildings renewed under the Makovecz decision

• 10:45 - 11:00 Coffee break

• 11:00 - 11:20 Péter Tóth: The regionalist architecture of the Lake Balaton Highlands
• 11:20 - 11:40 Gábor Erhardt: Regionalist architecture in Tokaj-Hegyalja
• 11:40 - 12:00 Győző Esztány: regionalist architecture in Transylvania
• 12:00 - 12:20 Ferenc Salamin: The role and responsibilities of architects in today's world

• 12:20 - 13:20 Lunch, coffee break

• 13:20 - 13:50 Volker Ehrlich: Healing architecture
• 13:50 - 14:20 Eric Norin: Contemporary struggle in the classical architectural tradition
• 14:20 - 14:50 Ana Maria Goilav: "For us the building is otherworldly"
• 14:50 - 15:00 Coffee break

• 15:00 - 15:30 Regő Lánszki: The changing mindset of the building law
• 15:30 - 16:00 Attila Turi: The importance of the co-arts in contemporary architecture
• 16:00 - 17:00 Gutowski Robert: The planning process for the reconstruction of the Buda Castle Palace

• 17:00 - 17:15 László Zsigmond: Closing words