Herb manufacture

University of Debrecen, Faculty of Technology, Debrecen, Hungary

Idea projektu

For centuries, the fortress in Oradea, located in Romania, served defensive purposes. Its several-meter-high brick walls and nearly 50-meter-wide moat were designed to keep intruders at bay. However, nowadays, they complicate the approach and use of the area for the city's residents. During my diploma project, I sought solutions to resolve this contradiction.
Today, the fortress serves as a place for recreation and leisure. The building complex currently houses various visitor-attractive functions, such as exhibition halls, a restaurant, a café, and a visible bakery. What was once a moat now adds to the city's green spaces, where both locals and tourists can enjoy nature and cultural programs. During landscaping, various plants, including medicinal types, were introduced to the area. As I also work with medicinal plants in my free time, it became clear during the site survey that these valuable plants would be the focal point of my design, through which I could highlight the close relationship between nature and architectural interventions.

Popis projektu

To utilize the herbal plantation in the moat, I created a manufacturing workshop where locally grown herbs are processed and various tea blends and herbal products are produced. These can be consumed in the tea house or purchased at the showroom. Additionally, there are opportunities to learn more about medicinal plants through lectures and workshops.
The plantation is located on the eastern side of the moat. When selecting the site, it was important for me that the building be close to the plantation due to the processing, while also being easily accessible to local residents. Therefore, I chose a green area of nearly 3000 square meters near the eastern gate, which contained many exciting details.
My goal was to design a building that harmoniously integrates into its environment. The building is not ostentatious; it strives to highlight and give space to its natural surroundings, thereby becoming nature-centered. A key consideration during construction was ensuring that the existing vegetation would not be damaged and that as much continuous green space as possible would remain intact. As a result, the preserved urban green space can be freely used and shaped by local residents. On the outer side of the moat, retaining walls have been built as the city expanded. This creates a spatial boundary that significantly defines the atmosphere of the moat. A distinctive feature of my chosen site is that this pattern is interrupted over a length of about 140 meters. In response to this gap, the planned building connects at the eastern gate and complements the surrounding spatial boundary.
This concept led to the design of a wall-like building. The choice of materials, façade, and openings were all intended to reinforce this wall-like concept.
The building is divided into heated and unheated areas. Most of the herb processing takes place in unheated areas, which is possible because these stages occur during the spring and summer months. Visitors can enter the building from the city-facing side. To the right of the entrance hall, they first encounter a showroom, followed by the tea house service counter and the consumption area. The connection between the two levels is reinforced by ceiling openings. To the left of the entrance, visitors reach the lecture hall, where theoretical knowledge can be acquired. A stairway auditorium leads down to the lower level, which houses the workshop space for practical learning, along with other essential supplementary functions.
The building’s layout corresponds to the herbal processing stages. This means that the workstations in the drying area are designated for each phase of the process: temporary storage before processing, cleaning, preparation for drying, processing, and packaging. The herbs naturally dry on trays. As mentioned in the structure description, the drying "system" is the external wall structure, designed with small-sized bricks, allowing air to flow through the gaps between the elements. This aids in the drying process and prevents harmful conditions by maintaining a constant airflow.
The shelving system for storing the finished products follows a similar principle as the drying wall structure.

Technické informace

The building is constructed from small-sized bricks, aligning with the materials used in the surrounding built environment. To maintain the wall-like appearance, I aimed for a consistent material use on the façade, while the special brickwork and openings prevent the building from becoming monotonous. Taking advantage of the flexibility offered by small construction materials, I aimed for complex architectural solutions. The brick walls not only function as space-defining structures but also serve as "furniture" for storing the finished products or as drying structures for the medicinal herbs.
The harvested herbs must be protected from direct sunlight, so natural light enters the drying area through openings in the façade. In other parts of the building, light enters through upper skylights, which I created using glass blocks in line with the modular system.

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