Volcano Centre by Földes László.

Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky.

Hungarian architect, Földes László, designed the Volcano centre to resemble the logic of the volcano, but not its form.

Visitors to the building enter deep within its core, where they follow various possible routes rising through the building, whilst learning about the forces that created Sag mountain, on which the building stands, and other volcanoes as well.

This journey through the exhibition culminates in the viewing tower where the beauty of the mountain is revealed as a view over the landscape. The entire journey is analogous to the flow of magma through its vent culminating in the eruption that forms the mountain.

The principle walls of the building are made from dark insitu concrete similar in colour to basalt. Cubic volumes clad in cor-ten steel protrude through the concrete. Cantilevering out form the main volume, these boxes mark the principle exhibition spaces within. One might read the steel as a manifestation of the rich ores found in and around volcanic rock.

It is pleasing to see that the concept is carried through to technical details such as using geothermal energy for the heating, entirely logical given the location of the building.

Christopher C. Hill.

Gratitude to A10.eu.