A well-kept secret

Hidden in the forests of the Mátra mountain range in northern Hungary, a remote refuge for guests offers scenic views and architectural excellence.

A symphony of simple forms and colors

Located on a hill-top in the Hungarian Mátra mountains, this hut is a guest house with character. The Mátra mountain range is the southwestern tip of the Carpathians and the northern edge of the Pannonian field.

Volcanic cones form the peaks, of which the highest reach up to a bit more than 1,000 m. The richly-forested region is a very well-known and beloved tourist area in Hungary and offers a huge number of health resorts and spas.

„We chose the tiles in white because they reflect a maximum of sunlight and avoid overheating,“ - described the architect

Little intervention, great change

A charming little plot in a sleepy mountain village offered great potential for a new guest house. “We designed the house in place of the old buildings, in order to make only a small intervention,” the architect says. Twenty-four point-foundations and two more strip-foundations hold a wooden platform on which the house stands. “Creating basements on this rocky ground was difficult,” the architect explains, “as was the inaccessibility of this mountainous region.”

The design was driven by a desire to make the best possible use of the existing opening in the forest to conserve the surrounding vegetation. The mountainous topography and the view over the Mátra mountains also influenced the design. The result is a modern, solid, and futuristic white house on a wooden platform – two cuboids, slightly twisted towards each other.

White volume with character

Steel trusses and wooden beams form the load-bearing structure while a timber framework creates the walls. The house consists of a few open rooms, which create a spacious atmosphere in the modern forest-villa. A generous patio invites visitors to enjoy the view and the mountain climate. The façade is painted white, with the roof clad in white tiles. The architect chose the modern, minimalistic Tondach Planoton 9 FusionProtect tile to shape the futuristic appearance of the house.

The roof tiles create a regular grid pattern, making the difference between the walls and the roof almost invisible. The summers can get hot in the Mátra region, making a white façade not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional: “We chose the tiles in white because they reflect a maximum of sunlight and avoid overheating,” described the architect. The house, with its white walls and roof set upon a wooden pedestal, exudes a sculptural elegance, appearing as a white form nestled within lush, natural surroundings.