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City Hall, Budapest

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Erick van Egeraats design for the new City Hall complex for Budapest

Combines restoration of the existing, but never completed 18th century

baroque building with new, futuristic wings to create a contemporary

Forum. It integrates the site into the existing 19th century city fabricby mirroring the mixture of functions that characterizes urban

planning of that time. Once completed, the City Hall complex will act

as a micro-city, offering virtually every city function and revitalizing

the entire area.The Cultural Forum is strategically located in thecentre of the complex and will offer a broad program. It incorporates

a multifunctional area which can host conferences, exhibitions,concerts and theatre performances. Retail, cafs, restaurants and

a boutique hotel are included in the project, integrating it into thesurrounding existing facilities and stimulating traffic through the

Forum where pedestrian flow from the boulevard to the river Danube

will be re-opened. Easy access is granted through a direct connectionwith the metro station, where the old city walls are excavated and on

display. At ground floor level, the complex will be entirely accessible

to the public with four open courtyards recalling the layout of the

complex as it was originally intended. The Forum Square representsthe main gate from Karoly Korut into the City Hall and Forum. It

features a glass tower on top of the entrance gate offering access to

the City Balcony and a spectacular 360 view of the city. The historic

and contemporary baroque of the existing building and new extensioncomplement and emphasize each other, connecting the past and the

future and ensuring the relationship with the surrounding townscape.

Though it has strong ties to the history of the site, the design clearlylooks to the future as well by offering sustainable qualities andsolutions. The central location of the Forum on top of the metro line

and the large scale integration of functions result in minimal need

for additional transport, relieving the cities road system and limitingcarbon emission. But more importantly, only a small part of the

complex will be newly built, meaning that the existing monument will

largely be conserved, renovated and recycled, considerably prolonging

its lifespan. The great challenge of this unique project lies in realizingit with maximum eye for sustainability and creating a timeless value

that will carry the city of Budapest into the future.

designed by

clientMunicipality of Budapest

projectcountry: Hungary

city: Budapest

category: public

status: competition 1st prizegross floor area: ca. 118000 m2

design: 2009

completion: 2013

7/24/2019 Erick Van City Hall Budapest

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7/24/2019 Erick Van City Hall Budapest

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