ARCHITECTURAL CONFERENCE OF THE VISEGRAD FOUR
The renewal of the Visegrad Four Family Houses program
MINUTES
Sáros László György DLA President AHA
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Colleagues!
We are living now in unexpected, exciting times. Europe is covered by a migration stream. We took Europe always seriously. Mostly its boundaries. Not less in culture. Therefore, it is important for all of us to be together.
On the other hand here will be soon Christmas. The people according to our costumes, to our culture are waiting for happiness, much more seriously, much more closely, then on other days. I mean the family, the friends, the colleagues, the possibilities of life. It would be good, it would be nice to feel this uplifting after every day of the year. Or maybe not? Why not? Because then it wouldn’t be a holiday always? Nope it is not. Just you need to find. For example, such as this present togetherness. It’s so good to be come together. If just only for a little time. As it happens now. I hope, this togetherness is useful, this togetherness is productive. Set new goals also, meanwhile let us not forget for a minute the already achieved values. We keep them. Let us preserve them. Do not let them jeopardize by any self-interest.
And so Christmas is approaching, I try to say it, we never do anything only for ourselves. Or if we do, that would be only the last point of view. What we can do is just make it, just for our common life. Like now, here on the V4 architecture association. I wish you a good work and a fruitful meeting.
Prof.Dr. Deniz İncedayı Vice President UIA region II. (on line)
Greets all the participants. Wish them a remarkable conference, invite them to the next UIA region II. Presidents meeting in March in Istambul. Solidarity and cooperation seem to her the most important tasks to fulfill she said from Istambul (Turkey) via Skype.
Bálint Imre DLA president of the Chamber of Architects in Budapest & Włodzimierz Mucha, Juraj Hermann, Ondřej Benes
Greet the participants in the name of Associations and Chambers of their country.
LECTURES
Borbás Péter DLA the designer of the Ecological House in Szentendre introduced the site, building materials and design method of the award winning house, spoke about heritage and sustainibility, mixed nation in one town, old materials new consumer problems.
Borsos András introduced AHA in chapters: aims, AHA international connections, placed the organization in the world and in central europe, look at it’s crossborder programs, spoke architects in Hungary and in Budapes, tells the story of the house of architects. Told AHA history, organization, connections & activities.
Juraj Hermann in lecture Slovakia –the Bridge between the V4 countries speaks about Slovakia the country in the middle of the v4 cooperation, one that hosted all the crowns of the countries around, has a common history a good modern buildings from the 20th century as well. A country that has bridges to Hungary not only across the river Danube but also in attitudes.
Ondřej Benes in Czech Houses as a co author and co worker of Jan Stempel and Jan Jakub Tesar in the book introduced 33 contemporary family houses in Czech in all the regions. Showing a wide range of approaches to individual housing needs including large and small houses; new projects and renovations; houses in the countryside, in dense urban centres and in suburbia; made of concrete, wood, bricks or steel; in modern, abstract, or traditional styles distinctive, subtle or introverted, the exhibition demonstrates the continuous increase in the quality of Czech architecture since the fall of Communism in 1989, capturing the developments in architecture within the context of significant political and social change. Answering the questions: Can Czech architects hold their own when compared to the international scene? Does family houses posses qualities and features that can captivateforeign observers and offer visible quality? All in 250 slides!
Janota Orsi / in lecture HelloWood introduced the project not only in slides but in a motion picture. Emphasized that in the last 5 years it worked with 50 km lumber, 250 thousand screws, has 600 participants from 25 countries and 30 universities. Told the story that HelloWood has not only worldwide popular projects, but several presentation in the architectural media all over the world (eg. archdaily.com), and has many invitations abroad and an outstanding communication strategy too.
Borsos András in V4 Family Houses – program and possibilities spoke about that v4 is about: European integration, national identity, cultural cooperation, societies, language and friendship. Told that it has a comparable history in Central Europe with borders and with crossborder communi-cation. Told the history of the v4 architectural partnership and the family houses program since 2008, incl. the future possibilities such as in youth and education, in science and innovation and in culture and arts.
Jerzy Grochulski in Ways and examples of cooperation, Polish experience introduced contemporary polish architecture and award winning projects and talks about SARP has 25 Branches in Poland with 5000 members, about the UIA as it is a chance to cross the border, there are other organizations too as eg. ACE, MASA. UIA can be the organization of cooperation. Visegrad Foundation is good. V4 has many similarities, many similar problems eg. authors right, chamber vs. association. We are good partners eg. foreign jury members in Grand Prix-Praha, Dusan Jurkovic Prize-Bratislava. If we have a prize we can arrange a Prize-Exhibition-we may have a magazine to promote. But we need a a new attitude and we have to face borders again. Questions and proposals: Continue our debate, get CLOSER to the Young generation with summer schools, universities contacts. How we should attract the „without masters” generation? They need fun not associations, so organize and let them be free.
Peter Pásztor DLA in Family Houses in Slovakia spoke about average problems of architects today such as if 25 years ago they decided to reject the ruling role of construction companies, design „industries”, to change the development system, to work for energy efficiency, and for architectural quality in the region. And now we’re in a quite different position than we expected to be in. Bad ways of public procurement, dereliction of villages, corruption, old ways of education, lack of architectural culture. Told as if he still has the faith: to design in an economic way, to work for a better built environment, to handle good our built heritage, in architecture as art, and that our talent is given by God.
Włodzimierz Mucha in Family Houses in Poland told that the membership in SARP is obligatory (5 000 architects) despite the mandatory membership in Chamber (10 000 architects). SARP was created for creation, chamber is for job. Emphasized how important is the quality of landscape and competition in public procurements. Brought family house examples from: Mazury, Silesia, Pszczyba, Lubliniec, Kraków, by Robert Konieczny and many other architects. Agree with J. Grochulsky that the renewal of SARP and v4 is in changing towards young architects and bridges should be built towards the youth. Practical steps should be taken, and if you agree you can execute.
Mikó László introduced Two Family Houses in Tihany designed by himself on the top the hill with a magnificent view to the Lake Balaton. An energy efficient house built with local materials and based on the built heritage of the local environment.
ROUND TABLE
Sáros László György DLA: The aim is to reach the youth, to open and invite their masterless generation. Ondřej Benes: The Czech Chamber of Architects is ready to be partner in v4 architectural cooperation eg. arranging exhibitions. Juraj Hermann: SAS has no problem with Visegrad Foundation, better to work together than weaken each other. HelloWood is a good example from the Youth dealing with wood as a jewel. Pásztor Péter DLA: The four Associations seems to become old, and being lack of money. The directions should be found to develop these societies. Jerzy Grochulski: We four took one step to a good direction. We can become stronger with young architects. Young generation is wider than we can identify. We can invite companies for money (eg. velux) and to be a protector in our projects. Kazymierz Dolny /SARP is able to host young architects. Włodzimierz Mucha: To solve our problems practical steps has to be taken. These Associations can be eg. tutors in v4 workshops with a practical focus eg. design a real house for a real client, we can offer for young graduates a “v4 wanderers school” as going office by office in every half a year. Mikó László: The initiatives are based on personal connections and headed towards a practical subject and a real client. Sáros László György DLA: We can look at Vándoriskola (32 students in his office already in recent years) as an example. We the members of v4 architectural partnership can to help our colleagues in the Western Balkan Countries. We can keep our historical traditions eg. within the K8 partnership too. Suggested to held next v4 meeting within half a year.
CLOSING The K8 Architectural Cooperation Act was signed by Juraj Hermann, so all Visegrad Four partners has signed it. Finally Sáros László György DLA said thank’s to all the participants to be here and work together, and closed the event.
the participants:
Sáros László György DLA President Association of Hungarian Architects
Juraj Hermann President Spolok Architektov Slovenska
Włodzimierz Mucha Vice President Stowarzyszenie Architektów Polskich
Jerzy Grochulski, SARP former President, UIA Council Member
Ondřej Benes České vysoké učení technické v Praze – Fakulta architektury
Veronika Hudečková Terra Cultura o.p.s. CZ
Mikó László AHA Board member
Borsos András curator of the v4fh2015 program
Borbás Péter DLA designer of the winner of Family House of the Year 2015 award
Janota Orsi Hello Wood project manager
date &venue
9. december 2015. House of the Architects, Ötpacsirta u. 2. Budapest, 1088
organizer
The Association of Hungarian Architect in corporation with Spolok Architektov Slovenska ,Stowarzyszenie Architektów Polskich, České vysoké učení technické v Praze – Fakulta architektury supported by: International Visegrad Fund; language: English
side ivent
Visegrad Four Family Houses 2015. exhibition
PICTURES
