Újkert Community Garden

Project idea

Dissolving the alienation and architectural monotony of Socialist-era housing estates through a contemporary micro-intervention - a reimagined municipal community garden and pavilion in the heart of the Újkert housing estate in Debrecen, Hungary.

Project description

The project reimagines a municipal community garden located in the heart of the Újkert housing estate in Debrecen. As an extension of the gardens, a community pavilion is designed that not only hosts urban agriculture but also serves as a generational bridge, actively integrating the gardening community into the residential fabric.
The building, characterized by a strong longitudinal axis, bisects the site in a North-South direction. At its ends, open wall structures connect perpendicularly to the main axis in a ‘tentacle-like’ manner, forming visual and physical boundaries toward the points of arrival.
The 438 sqm internal sequence of spaces follows a functional order. At the southern end, a covered-open passage and bicycle storage welcome visitors, serving as a transitional zone between the park and the garden. The central core is formed by a 76 sqm community kitchen. This is intended to host the processing of locally grown vegetables, communal cooking, and gastronomic workshops. Directly connected to the kitchen is a greenhouse, also 76 sqm, where seedling propagation and year-round herb cultivation take place.

Technical information

The load-bearing structure of the pavilion is constructed from Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels. This appears in an exposed finish within the interior. Externally, the timber panels and the thermal insulation layer are enclosed by a rainscreen metal cladding in RAL 6009 Pine Green. The final roof covering is standing seam metal roofing in RAL 9006 White Aluminum.
A photovoltaic system mounted on the southern slope of the pitched roof provides the electricity supply.
During rain, precipitation runoff from the roof directed through hidden gutters reaches an underground rainwater harvesting tank. This feeds the garden's irrigation system and the building's greywater system.
Organic waste produced is placed in the garden composter, eventually returning to the topsoil as nutrients.

Documentation

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