RESEARCH ARTICLE

Exploration of spatial design issues at backpacker hostels in Budapest' shistoric center: Informality, density, and adaptability

  • Gergely Hory ,
  • Zoltán Major ,
  • Péter Müllner ,
  • Melinda Benko
Expand
  • Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Architecture, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rakpart. 3,1111 Budapest, Hungary

Received date: 06 Oct 2016

Revised date: 21 Feb 2017

Accepted date: 22 Feb 2017

Copyright

2017 2017 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Abstract

This paper presents a practice-based research to achieve a deeper understanding of the spatial issues related to backpacker tourism, a booming industry in Budapest. The authors designed six backpacker hostels between 2013 and 2015, and of these, four are presently in operation. Hostels are the main infrastructures within the global network of backpacker tourism. Results from the design process revealed that the creation and operation of hostels are significantly influenced by three issues, namely, informality, density, and adaptability. These issues are negotiated on three interconnected levels: the city, the building, and the interior. The authors developed an experimental structure for dormitory spaces as a conscious reaction to these issues. This experimental structure is presented and evaluated, and further paths of develop- ment are formulated based on the results.

Cite this article

Gergely Hory , Zoltán Major , Péter Müllner , Melinda Benko . Exploration of spatial design issues at backpacker hostels in Budapest' shistoric center: Informality, density, and adaptability[J]. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2017 , 6(2) : 157 -168 . DOI: 10.1016/j.foar.2017.02.005

Outlines

/