Like moonlight on the water, Lánchíd 19 captures the shimmer of the Danube coursing through Budapest. Tucked at the base of the hill below Buda Castle on a leafy avenue overlooking the river, the six-month-old hotel evokes the famous waterway with a dynamic facade of 150 rectangular glass lamellas. Arranged six to a window, the lamellas rotate on chain-driven servomechanisms. Each lamella is screen printed with multicolored pixelated patterns and sandblasted on the opposite side for texture, and reflects a panel of six LEDs embedded in the window sill.
A large, integrated design team treated the river-facing elevation as a single surface, with each lamella wired into a central network that responds to temperature and wind signals from roof-mounted sensors, says member architect László Benczúr. “The whole facade moves slowly when the weather is quiet, and faster when it is windy.” Color patterns and shades of each hue are programmed to change subtly with time and temperature. Guests can control their rooms’ six panels, and after 2 hours the sensor system overrides the signal, moving back to a unified windowpane choreography.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.