Planing of the reconstruction of the iconic Hotel Budapest, designed by Szrogh György (KÖZTI) in the 1960s and built in 1967, was preceded by extensive preparatory work, based on which an accurate picture of the building’s actual technical condition was formed. It was confirmed that the structures, which were considered economical at the time of their construction, could not be converted to accommodate the proposed new functions (apartments in the tower building with a wellness and fitness center downstairs, rental units and a four-story underground garage in the low-rise building), and they did not meet the stability and fire protection standards valid today. For this reason, the partial demolition of the structures in both parts of the building complex and their rebuilding with similar character but greater usability became the viable option for the reconstruction design. Preserving the character of the tower building in the cityscape was an important aspect; the proposed building will be built according to the existing form and building mass, with the original height and width. The strong character of the tower, the horizontal ring-like look resulting from the parapet strips, will also be retained with an architectural formulation fitted to the new function. Instead of the current solid parapets and deeply set back continuous windows, a two-layer facade will be created. The outer layer of this is the curved, partially painted glass strip of the parapets, the inner layer is formed by the polygonal, full-height, large windows and doors that are better suited to the apartment function and provide a better view. A 60-80 cm deep balcony will be created between the two layers. The low-rise building next to the tower will be rebuilt with a mass similar to the original stepped design, with the same concrete finish as the old building, built with an up-to-date technology.
Year of design: 2024 Lead architects: TIMA Zoltán, MÁRK Péter Area: 17 790 m2
