Dévényi Tamás, Hegedűs Péter – Mozgássérültek lakóegyüttese

Designed by Tamás Dévényi and Péter Hegedűs, this housing estate was built in Pesthidegkút for disabled people in the International Year of the Disabled at the initiative of the Budapest Committee of the Communist Youth Association as an orchestrated cooperation between society and the political core. The development takes up the whole site bordered by four streets. The large mass is divided into smaller ranges by spaces, of which only a few were built in. The structure, featuring the proper scale and proportions, evokes traditional rows of cellars and rural streetscapes of vernacular architecture. Consciously built for disabled people, this complex challenged the architect with unusual expectations. Aiming for affordability, the apartments are modest in size with a 60 m² floor space and short distances resulting from high density. Placed in the centre of the ensemble, communal and sports functions are also easy to access. Being a social housing development, it was designed with a rational configuration, small span sizes combined with traditional-style building, and durable masonry to respond to sensitive issues of cost efficiency and low maintenance. The simple architectural approach, refined details and well-known architectural basics were orchestrated here in an appropriate way to avoid disintegrating or becoming too schematic. Architecture here went beyond the creation of buildings and the elaboration of finishes, involving the utilisation of external intermediate areas as well. A small path leads from the private courtyards into the residential community’s shared garden, which is complemented by a public park and sports areas in the heart of the estate.