RIBA Goldfinger Scholar 2010

MPhil
Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of Art & Design

 

'The connections between the United Kingdom and Hungary in the field of urban design with a particular emphasis on the work of Thomas Mawson and Béla Rerrich'

 

Luca Csepely-Knorr is a landscape architect and a PhD student in Landscape Architecture at the Corvinus University of Budapest. She holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the Corvinus University (2005). Her Master’s course design project won Master’s Design Competitions held by The Chamber of Hungarian Architects and the Hungarian Society for Urban Planning.

Luca worked as a Landscape Architect for Főkert Design Studio in Budapest from 2005 to 2006. Since 2006 she has worked as a Teaching Assistant and subsequently a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Corvinus University of Budapest, Faculty of Landscape Architecture. From January to June 2010 Luca held the post of a Visiting Tutor on the Landscape Architecture Programme at the Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Luca is a member of the Chamber of Hungarian Architects and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Hungarian National Committee, Special Committee for Historic Gardens.

 

Selected Design Competitions

 

Fehértó, Dózsa György Square (2007)
First prize
Wienerberger PLC

Budapest, V. Kossuth Square Open Space Design Competition (2007)
Third prize
Hungarian National Assembly

Budaörs, Törögugrató, Reconstruction of a mine-area (2007)
Commendation
Master School of Architects

 

Selected Publications

 

Luca Csepely-Knorr, 'Frederick Law Olmsted’s Public Parks, Parkways and their influence on the Continent' (p. 671-678, Julius Gy. Fabos et.al (ed.): Proceedings of the Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning 2010; Budapest, 2010.)

Luca Csepely-Knorr, 'Budapesti közparkok a 19. század végén. A közparkok jellegzetes elemeinek és a közpark-elmélet változásainak vizsgálata Berlin, Bécs és Budapest parkjainak példáján' ['Public Parks in Budapest at the end of the 19th Century'] (p. 111-116, Ágnes Sallay (ed): Ormos Imre Tudományos Ülésszak.LOV 2009.Tájépítészeti Tanulmányok. 4D Könyvek [Proceedings of the Ormos Imre Scientific Conference. Landscape architectural studies]; Budapest, 2010).

Luca Csepely-Knorr & Máté Sárospataki, 'A “Gellérthegyi Paradicsom” A Budai Arborétum Felső kertjének építéstörténete a II. Világháborúig' ['The Building History of the Upper Garden of the ’Budai Arboretum’ until World War II'] (p. 2-25, 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat [4D Journal of Landscape Architecture and Garden Art] Vol. 14, Summer 2009; Budapest, 2009.)

Luca Csepely-Knorr, 'Fehértó, Dózsa György tér' ['Dózsa György Square, Fehértó, Open Space Design Competition, I. Prize design'] (Régi-Új Magyar Építőművészet [Hungarian Architecture] Vol. 4, 2008; Budapest, 2008.)

Luca Csepely-Knorr, 'A múlt kérdései – a jövő válaszai.Budapest, V. Kossuth tér térépítészeti tervpályázat' ['Past Questions– Future Answers. Budapest, Kossuth Square Urban Space Design Competition]) (p. 3-25, 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat [4D Journal of Landscape Architecture and Garden Art] Vol. 8, Winter 2007; Budapest, 2007.)

Luca Csepely-Knorr, 'A hotkóci szentimentális kert, a ’kert portréja’ és a portré festője' ['The sentimental Garden at Hotkóc, the’portrait of the garden’, and the Portraitist'] (p. 17-26, 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti folyóirat [4D Journal of Landscape Architecture and Garden Art] Vol. 7, Fall 2007; Budapest, 2007.) 

 

Personal Statement

 

The RIBA Goldfinger Scholarship 2010 will enable me to undertake research on the connections between the Hungarian and English town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture in the first half of the 20th century. I will conduct my research in the Department of Art & Design at Manchester Metropolitan University under the supervision of Professor Eamonn Canniffe and Sally Stone.

My research will focus on the work of Béla Rerrich in Hungary and Thomas Mawson in the UK seeking to answer the questions of what influenced Mawson's theory of Civic art and how his work and collaboration with Rerrich inspired and influenced the Hungarian theory and practice as exemplified through Rerrich’s theoretical writings and professional works. Béla Rerrich (1881-1932) was an influential early 20th century Hungarian architect, landscape architect and urban designer, who played a leading role in founding landscape architectural education in Hungary. In early 20th century In 1907 Rerrich worked under a garden designer and town planner Thomas Mawson (1861-1933).

As a Landscape Architect and a researcher in to Landscape Architecture, I would like to acquire greater understanding of the architectural perspective on urban environment. The research course at Manchester Metropolitan University will provide me with an unrivalled opportunity to investigate the links between the early to mid-20th century UK and Hungarian city planning particularly in the field of open space design. The course will also help me learn the methods of an interdisciplinary academic enquiry cutting across history of art, urban design history, and history of town planning. I hope that the MPhil research at Manchester Metropolitan University will serve as a basis for my future international research.
There is growing interest in the English language courses in the higher education in Hungary. I am confident that my experience of the English higher education system and my academic language skills will be very valuable for my home university and its students.