Hungarian Architect Designs a Houseboat Fitting Its Surroundings

By Daniel Miller - February 13, 2020

A young couple from Budapest wanted a holiday home on Lake Tisza, and investing in a houseboat was the logical next step. As exciting as it may sound, things are about to elevate as this is not just a regular boat with a bedroom in it. It’s a legit floating summer home that was specifically designed to fit in Lake Tisza’s natural surroundings.

The Lake Requires a Certain Type of Design

Designing a home and meeting specific interior requirements is a hard job on its own, but a true professional thinks about the exterior in a way that complements its surroundings. When the surroundings, however, are a 7,000-hectare artificial reservoir and nature reserve that is home to a menagerie of wildlife including more than 100 different bird species, things get a bit more tricky.

The houseboat on Lake Tisza

However, Hungarian architect Tamás Bene accepted the challenge, and according to local fishermen, there is no reflection about the houseboat design and they’ve only expressed that it has a ‘good ambiance.’ The architect believes this is a good sign, proving that he managed to create “an unimposing object that fits in with the natural environment and is in harmony with its surroundings.”

The Smart Decisions on the Houseboat

the interior of the houseboat
Mr. Bene researched houseboats and fishing boats to discover that there is not an established particular design over the years. He concluded that each owner develops their boat according to their ideas and needs.

The goal was spilling as much nature into the interior as possible, which was achieved by a large panoramic window, gracing the bow of the houseboat while sliding doors ensure to create a seamless transition onto the rear deck. The rest of the interior is paneled in a mixture of thermowood and redwood, including a small kitchen and dining setup with two benches and a table.

The interior of the houseboat on Lake Tisza

Here’s when practicality meets small spaces as the tabletop can be lowered to the height of the benches and unfolded to create a double bed with the cushions doubling up as a mattress. To solve the electricity problem, the architect decided to install two solar panels on the roof.