© Gergely Szinnay

In memorial of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which resulted in the emigration of over 37,000 Hungarians to Canada, architectural studio Hello Wood has created Tunnel Through Time, a contemporary interpretation of the historic event that remembers the heroes of the revolution and especially honoring the Canadian people who welcomed Hungarian refugees. 

Composed of 37,565 pieces—one for each Hungarian refugee accepted into Canada—the tunnel begins with a Hungarian flag with a hole in the middle, representing how protesters cut the communist coat of arms out of the Hungarian flag during the revolution. The tunnel then morphs—as a representation of the journey of the refugees—until it reaches an exit, which is shaped like the national symbol of Canada, the maple leaf.

© Gergely Szinnay

© Soraya Hegyesi

© Gergely Szinnay

The welcoming of Hungarian refugees was a huge turning point in the history of Canadian immigration policy that shaped the country’s open-minded attitude towards immigrants in general. Hungarian immigrants added value to the economy of Canada, like those 200 young engineers arriving from the Faculty of Wood Sciences of the University of Sopron who helped to shape the world famous Canadian wood industry. Canada welcomed 37 565 Hungarians after the Uprising, molding the image of Canadian society so much, that in 2010 it was designated a Canadian national historic event and part of Canadian heritage – explained the architect in a press release. 

© Gergely Szinnay

© Gergely Szinnay

The installation was commissioned by the Consulate General of Hungary in Toronto, who, in addition to local Canadian Hungarians from around the country, assisted with construction.

© Gergely Szinnay

We wanted to create a memorial that could be interesting to a Canadian youngster, who does not necessarily have Hungarian roots, said Péter Pozsár, co-founder of Hello Wood. The Tunnel Through Time is a visually exciting object, and if someone steps closer, they will get a piece of history by meeting the story of the events of 1956. Canadians of Hungarian origin can be proud of the old country and to Canada, which gave them a new home, and the culturally diverse local community can experience a piece of world history.

© Gergely Szinnay

Tunnel Through Time is currently on display in Budapest Park in Toronto, and will be moved to Niagara Falls, where it will be in custody of a Canadian-Hungarian scout group.

© Gergely Szinnay

© Gergely Szinnay

© Gergely Szinnay

Learn more about the project, here.

News via The 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight 60^th Anniversary Memorial Board.

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In this stunning photo shoot Fernando Guerra, of Últimas Reportagens, captures the Therme Vals, one of the most iconic works of the 2009 Pritzker Prize-winner Peter Zumthor.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Built between 1993 and 1996, the building is part of the hotel complex in Vals. Constructed over a thermal spring, it serves the hotel guests, the local community and other visitors in search of the healing and relaxing properties of hot water.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The design of the project arose from a restriction which prevented the construction of a building height that would damage the guests’ views of the valley. This led to one of the main design features of the building, with a facade and half of the building buried in the hill blending with the topography of the valley, and a flat green roof that combines with the sloping hill to create a continuous lawn.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The space within the spa is organized around two large pools, one outdoor and one indoor, surrounded by high stone walls. The building’s main access is via a tunnel from the hotel, serving as a transition that prepares the visitor to experience the architecture imagined by Zumthor. Internally, you can move through the various spaces freely, without a preordained path, with views to the landscape highlighted and blocked masterfully through the building’s external openings.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The facade, with a striking alternation between solid and void, clearly shows the construction technique. The volume of the building consists of 15 subsidiary volumes, all distinct from each other. These fragments are assembled as a large three-dimensional puzzle, thus the roof coverage is not continuous but broken at each of the connections between these blocks. These subtle gaps of just 8 centimeters allow the entry of a sliver of natural light. Despite its appearance as a massive, monolithic volume, the building is a composition of slightly spaced apart structures that make up the whole. The project addresses these contrasts masterfully; between the straight lines of the architecture and the movement of water, or between the gray of the rocks and the play of light and colors.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

In each block the architect explores different sense, utilizing colors, the scale of the space or even the water itself, and its temperature, state, smell, and so on. Overnight, the experience is drastically altered, as most of the light in the building emerges from the water itself.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js

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Courtesy of Moradavaga

• Architects: Moradavaga
• Localization : Porto, Portugal
• Area: 54.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Cortesia de Moradavaga

• Collaborators : Rossana Ribeiro, Myrto Lantza

• Production: Euphoric Generation Unipessoal, Lda

• Structure : Radical e Positivo Unipessoal, Lda

• Logistic: Catari Portugal, Lda

• Partners : Cavaco & Coquet, Lda

Courtesy of Moradavaga

Following an invitation by Porto Lazer to rethink São João’s popular cascades, Moradavaga took inspiration from one of its icons, the wheel of the traditional water mills, and linked it to the old pagan cults to the Sun related to the summer solstice, from which the traditional festivities in honor of the city’s christian patron are derived, developing a site-specific interactive artistic piece implanted inside the fountain of Porto’s main avenue. 

Courtesy of Moradavaga

Courtesy of Moradavaga

The rotation of the 8 meters diameter “sun-wheel”, made of hundreds of little golden moving plates, produces changing effects throughout day and night, according to wind and light variations and the speed given by users, also creating varying reflections and movements on the existent water mirror.

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