4plus Architect Studio kft.

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás

PARISH CHURCH OF THE CELESTIAL QUEEN

4 plusz Építész Stúdió

ARCHITECTS
4 plusz Építész Stúdió

LOCATION
Budapest, Hungary

CATEGORY
Refurbishment

AREA
554 m²

YEAR
2015

MANUFACTURERS
Swisspearl

ENGINEERING
Kristály Klíma Plusz Kft.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Open Air Design Kft.

STRUCTURE
TERRAPLAN'97 Mérnökiroda Kft

ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT
Studio NG Bt.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Albertszki Tamás

PROJECT YEAR
2015

Text description provided by architect.

The Parish Church of Celestial Queen got its new place in an eclectic building at the Szent István square in Budapest. As a result of an agreement between the local government and the religious comunity.

The Catholic parsonage has moved into the building formerly housing the Erkel Ferenc Music School. Little decoration remained from the former facade of the U-shaped building and the rooms were also waited for rescue.

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás

The basic scheme traditionally associated with the parsonage – the parson’s quarters and office, the classroom for religious education, the library,

The banqueting hall and a spare apartment for visitors who stay here – are now housed in the existing main building featuring two lateral wings that face the yard.

Our plan was to restore the original condition of the bulding according to old photos and to enclose the circulation system with a new, modern building wing.

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás

The gable-roofed new wing involves the multifunctional social spaces. The section of the assembly room on the upstairs invokes a traditional house form, while the plain, bright interior creates a contemporary sacred space.

As the new wing embodies the ambition of the Catholic Church to open up for the wider public, this configuration of turning the structures inward separates two yards of different characters. Both yard becomes elemetal part of the building.

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás

The ground-floor reception area connects the peaceful front and the built-around back yard by a wide-span bridging both visually and physically. 

The large expanses of glass exposes events taking place around the old tree standing in the centre of the garden so that they are visible even from the foyer.

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás

Communication between the old and the new is facilitated by understanding and following the logic of the existing house.

The wings are distinguished by its roof shapes and materials. The new wing’s light grey slate with white fiber cement cover fits the existant plaster surfices.

The assembly room’s playful – actually hungarian embroidery pattern – perforated facade dissolves the symmetric composition and gives a facade an ever-changing view.

Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
© Albertszki Tamás

Being a public, sacred building means having an effect on a community. It covers practicality, usability as well as the message of it in the surroundings. With the restoration of the old parts, the transparent new wing and its discreet colors and materials the Parish Church of Celestial Queen presents an inviting social and reverent space.


Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Site Plan
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Basement Floor Plan
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Ground Floor Plan
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
First Floor Plan


Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Section
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Section
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Section
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Section
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Section


Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Elevation
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Elevation
Parish Church of the Celestial Queen
Elevation

4plus Architect Studio kft.
T +36 20 9826352
4plus Architect Studio kft.
Budapest, Bartók Béla út 18, 1111 Hungary