A heritage conservation project and a tourism construction project have brought Hungarian success in Slovenia

The renovation of the Varjaskeri church ruins and the construction of the Balatonfüred Conference and Apartment House have also received international architectural awards. According to a statement from Középülettervező Zrt. (KÖZTI), the projects have been awarded the BigSEE Architecture Awards 2025 Architecture Award in Slovenia. The recognition is awarded to the best architecture, interior design and design solutions in the countries of the South East Europe region.

The structure built into the wall marked the sacral focal point of the space

At the handover ceremony held in Portorož on the Adriatic coast, one of the Hungarian successes was the development of the Varjaskéri church ruins, carried out as part of the KÖZTI programme based on the plans of Market Építő Zrt. ROM Vándor programme. The ROM Vándor (CSR) programme, which our newspaper has been following, began in 2022 on the outskirts of Tök in Pest County Tök settlement in Pest County, with the rebirth of the Árpád-era church ruins there, and our newspaper has been regularly reporting on the latest developments.

The announcement states that the uniqueness of the renovation of the medieval church ruins near Somogyszentpál, which is currently under discussion, lies in the contemporary design of the gate motif.>renovation of the medieval church ruins near Somogyszentpál lies in the contemporary design of the gate motif. They remind us that the ruins are the remains of the facade of a brick church built in several periods in the settlement of Kér, which was founded during the Hungarian conquest.

"The most important task was to preserve the ruin, preserving the naturalistic contours of the ruin and adding as little as possible in terms of structure and proportion," says the KÖZTI report. "A single new structure was added to the wall, stabilising the ruin wall while using contemporary means to mark the location and scale of the former gateway, defining the sacral focal point of the space."

Bálint Kelemen, Project Director and Historic Preservation Engineer, recently received the ICOMOS Award for the project on behalf of KÖZTI.

Clear exposed concrete, shaded in places by openwork fine concrete panels

The other award in the category of tourist facilities was won by KÖZTI with the Balatonfüred Conference and Apartment House. Zoltán Tima, KÖZTI's design director, said in the press release that KÖZTI has been responsible for many significant buildings and that in recent years there have been several tourism-related developments in the waterfront zone of Balatonfüred. "At KÖZTI, we work to ensure that our works represent architectural value and sustainable quality," he stressed.

According to the report, the two main functions of the Balatonfüred Conference and Apartment Building are housed in two separate building blocks. The conference room of the ground floor part of the building is oriented towards Lake Balaton. The materials used for the façade are characterised by functionality and simplicity. The balconies in front of the rooms are made of light-coloured exposed concrete, with openwork fine concrete panels in places. Sustainable operation is ensured by state-of-the-art building construction and energy solutions.

The KÖZTI has been successful in the competition in previous years

The BigSEE award was founded by the Ljubljana-based foundation Zavod Big: SEE stands for South-East Europe. The award aims to showcase and reward excellence in architecture, interior design and the creative industries. "Over the years, BigSEE Architecture Award has grown to become the definitive architectural award in Central Europe and a global movement that celebrates excellence in architecture and design," the statement said.

In conclusion, the KÖZTI has been successful in previous years in the Slovenian international architectural competition: in addition to the Lőver Swimming Pool in Sopron, which won the BigSEE Grand Prix in 2023, the five-star LUA Resort in Balatonfüred, the Congress Centre in Balatonfüred, the parking garage in Sopron, the ruin conservation in Szadvár, the Green City in Veszprém, the White House office building, the BudaPart Homes "D" building and the BudaPart V.30 Downtown Sports Centre.