This year the judges selected winners from among twenty public buildings and 33 private properties. The competition was announced under the professional patronage of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA) and the Association of Hungarian Architects (MÉK) and was made possible through the donations from leading partners in the construction industry.

The MTI reports, that at a gala dinner on Thursday, Csaba Nagy and his team accepted the award for the renovation of the Vígadó of Buda, while Boglárka Jakabfi-Kovács and Pál Gyürki-Kiss received the main prize in the house category.

The house in Hűvösvölgy "represents the peace of home. Its almost hidden placement when viewed from street level, and the openness and exciting views of its interior showcase a soundness and temperance increasingly hard to find in the modern world" – said Balázs Marián, Ybl prize-winning architect, one of the judges.

The family home that was awarded as best house (Photo: Facebook page of the House of the Year (Az év háza) competition)

The Archikon team (designers: Csaba Nagy, Károly Pólus, Botond Benedek, Krisztina T. Major, András Botos, Diána Chvalla, Long Yining, Eszter Mészáros) were awarded as the best in this year's public building category for planning the renovation of the Vigadó of Buda.

Sándor Dévényi, member of the MMA, and co-chair of the House of the Year competition emphasised that "nowadays, it is so easy to demolish a building, ignoring its technical values, the energy wasted, not to mention its place in the heritage of our national identity, and its value as a tourist destination. This renovation has brought new life into an old body."

The Vigadó of Buda in 2019 (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

Seven special awards, offered by the associations and sponsors behind the competition were also handed out by the judges at the gala.

The MÉK special award was given to Gábor Fábián and Dénes Fajcsák for their Canopy-houses project in Noszvaj. Tamás Dósa-Papp received the MÉSZ special award for a family house in Telki. The special prize of the main sponsor was awarded to Gábor and Orsolya Bártfai-Benedek for a detached house in Budakeszi.

The special award of the public buildings category was received by György Sipos and Ildikó Vesmásné Zákányi for the herbal processing and demonstration building in Ópusztaszer. Péter Sónicz received the Green House - Energy Efficiency Special Award announced by the main sponsor of the house category for a house in Üllő he planned. Dénes Fajcsák and Gábor Fábián were also awarded a special prize for their house in Cserépfalu, and Péter Tóth and András Füzes for the Kispiac building in Wekerletelep.

A building housing a bicycle shop and offices in Biatorbágy designed by krisztián Huszárik was the audience's favourite in the public works category, while a house designed by Dávid Németh and György Csaplár one the popular vote announced on social media in the house category.

This year, Tamás Noll, Ybl award-winning architect took over as Chairman of the Panel from Sándor Dévényi, who will remain a co-chair. Other co-chairs include Péter Hajnóczi, President of MÉK, András Krizsán, President of MÉSZ, Balázs Szoják, curator of the House of the Year competition.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: Vigadó of Buda named House of the Year in the pulic building category (Photo: Facebook page of the House of the Year [Az év háza] competition)