Various historical events affecting the city left a strong impression on the map of Zalaegerszeg. The sudden, spurt-like periods of development define today’s heterogeneous cityscape. Thanks to this, there are valuable, well-proportioned public buildings in the core of the city, among which, however, there are still several underutilized or vacant lots. The Mindszentyneum building was also located on such an unused plot next to the Göcseji Museum, in line with the outer walls of the former palanquin castle.

In addition to the strictly considered basic functions, following the “open house” approach, the building also accommodates a variety of related activities. It does not simply want to be a museum, but a space intensively used by the community, which can accommodate diverse cultural events. The strict facade structure, which falls over the house like a shroud, therefore stops at the height of the first floor. At street level, in the zone perceived by pedestrians, the building connects to the surrounding public areas with large glass surfaces and covered open transitional spaces at the entrances. When entering, you can see through the house in horizontal and vertical directions, so both street fronts and the vertical movement inside the house become perceptible. The walkway in front of the building and the openings inside the building – between the two streets and towards the Göcsej Museum – visually and physically link the loose historical tissue in a subtle way, and at the same time strengthen the connection with the city center. Walking around the house, new viewpoints and insights are constantly revealed.

The construction of the building repeats the French courtyard design of the Göcseji Museum, but of course with different proportions and different connections. The forecourt, which marks the entrance and prepares for entry, is pressed into the mass formation – like the Göcseji Museum, which is free-standing – as a negative form. This historical spatial form is the fundamental determinant of the main facade, but in contrast to the traditional front garden – where a kind of intimacy naturally develops due to the size and elevation of the level – here we had to intensively separate the space from the noise of the street. In the lines of the facade, a semi-permeable membrane was created from its material, through which light, eyes and sounds pass through filtered. In the middle of the yard, we planted a carefully chosen decorative tree of symbolic importance, which is the counterpart of the huge sycamore in front of the Göcseji Museum.

In the appearance of the facade, we wanted to achieve a generous, elegant and uniform effect, so that the used material and structure allow us to associate it with the protective cardinal’s cloak and its materials (moiré silk and lace). The “mantle” of the building is a perforated, spatial membrane that creates subtle play of light and shadow and is made of long-lasting, uniquely colored metal lamellae. The interior of the otherwise closed building can be seen through the inwrought surface. The cover acts as a filter in front of the yard, small and large openings, and glass walls. The “mantle” also significantly reduces the building’s heat load, its white color and shading effect protect the building from summer heat.

Beneath the elegant, symbolic exterior, we designed a simple, clean interior that reflects the puritan creed of the house’s namesake. The nobly worked and typically white, raw, gray, natural surfaces are mixed with natural wood and soft textile surfaces that radiate homeliness.

Light is an extremely important creator and shaper of the external and internal world of the building. In the interior spaces, in addition to the perfect and flexible functional lighting, we designed unique light effects and exciting lighting images. In the exhibitions, with the involvement of specialists, we used lighting and light effects to support and highlight the theme. At night, the openwork façade comes alive with artificial lights, but we made sure that it remained solid and elegant throughout, befitting the character of the house.