The Value of the Relationship Between Architecture and Social Engagement: Imre Makovecz’s Work Within the Faluházak Project.

The aim of this research is to investigate, evaluate and represent some of the characteristics of the social, cultural and economic values generated by the oeuvre of Imre Makovecz and the group of specialists who collaborated with him-Pál Béke, Tamás Varga, and Ferenc Péterfi-within the faluházak (The Hungarian term faluház literally means ‘house of village’ (faluházak-houses of village) and can be translated as community centres or village centres.) project. Said project was carried out in local communities living in small villages scattered throughout Hungary, during the 1970s and 1980s. The current research work focuses on the Hungarian Organic Architecture of the architect Imre Makovecz, concentrating the analysis particularly on the Cultural Houses and Village Centres that were built, with a specific multidisciplinary and participatory approach to encourage cohesion and social engagement, in the Hungarian villages of Bak (1985), Zalaszentlászló (1985) and Kakasd (1986). The current research is based on a multiple case studies approach, architectural data, and on the investigation of the governance of buildings, taking into account the urban and social contexts in which the buildings are located. Data has been collected through direct observations, semi-structured interviews, archive research and user-centred perspective surveys. Valuable benchmark data and qualitative data were collected, as these points of architecture represent virtuous examples for their peculiar history, participatory approach within the entire design process, architectural features, and social and ecological value. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.