Zsófia Dankó (1962)

...I adjust my lifestyle to the amount of money I make, and not the other way around. If there's a period when your being paid decently, then it's your duty to set something aside for the times when there is no work. Our profession is not about always living comfortably, existentially speaking. Miki Jancsó and I divide our projects into two groups: there's the income group that we don't really discuss. And there are the projects we do for the love of it, which we talk about.

...I have three children of various ages. A teenager, a preteen and a toddler. This lifestyle is one of being at the mercy of others and requires maximum efforts, a lot of hard work, and in the end the result is not always what you plan for in the beginning. There's a lot of improvisation and reorganization. I don't think it's a normal lifestyle, especially for a woman. It's something you have to accept, that if you disappear for a while the client is not going to wait for you, he's not going to be understanding and just sit back and accept that you just don't have the time.

...And if you don't have self confidence, if you don't have the feeling that you can continue doing this, which women are more susceptible to anyway, then you remain in the background. That's what I mean by continuity, and it's important in this profession to continually be involved. It's not like being a teacher, which you can forget for two years and then go back and stand in front of a class.

Methodist Church Center
Budapest III., Kiscelli utca

The multifunctional group of buildings was built on the narrow plot following a competition. From the street one would not think that the 1,800 square meter building houses a prayer hall, several community rooms, an underground garage, offices, a library, a rectory, guest rooms, and also a large hall in the loft. The front facade of the narrow street that appears like a monolithic sign for the viewer and the main entrance which lies a bit behind the street front open the building and invite to step in. Inside, the two-story high prayer hall can be opened to form a large meeting place together with the community rooms and the gallery. The spatial structure, the surfaces and furnishing of the church all attempt to create a protective and warm atmosphere on a human scale within the inanimate surroundings. The visible roof support, the covered walls and the altar-piece that forms a niche in the wall are raw and simple. Cleanliness, order and harmony are key factors in both the external and internal architectural image. At the back of the building transitional spaces, terraces and open-air congregational spaces provide a connection to the outside.