Szent Gellért Sports Hall (Szent Gellért Terem) in Buda­pest is an outstan­ding example of buil­ding within exis­ting struc­tures — and not only for this. It was built for the St. Margaret Gymna­sium from the 1930s and was opened in summer 2020.

The design was deve­loped by the Hunga­rian office építész stúdió.

The visible size of the buil­ding is reduced by more than half. Behind the school the terrain rises sharply, so large parts of the hall are hidden under the (still growing) green of the slope.

The back of the Szent Gellért Sports Hall has comple­tely disap­peared into the slope, the side facades grow out of the terrain. The gallery level behind the south façade, on the other hand, is comple­tely perceivable and opens up to the school with large glass surfaces.

The roof becomes the much-cited fifth façade — and with an addi­tional pitch it can even be used. The unusual ball-catching device gives the whole thing enormous light­ness — and the total contrast to the richly detailed school buil­ding.

Szent Gellért Sports Hall is accessed from the back of St. Margaret Gymna­sium. The entrance, chan­ging rooms and showers for the athletes, as well as the teachers’ and storage rooms are all located on pitch level. This means short distances and saves time, which is of course helpful for school sports.

Spec­ta­tors access the inte­rior of the hall via the gallery level above. A spacious lobby with a view of the pitch leads visi­tors to the stands.

The struc­ture of the buil­ding makes no attempt to inter­fere with the histo­rical struc­ture of the school. This is very bene­fi­cial.

In keeping with this restrained approach, the archi­tects have used the most simple mate­rials possible. Wood, glass and exposed concrete domi­nate. Where neces­sary for daily use, the concrete cons­truc­tion was covered with wooden surfaces.