The demolition of the Körszálló begins, and in two years time, Budapest’s iconic tower block will be waiting for its new residents in all its glory. An up-to-date luxury apartment building is being built on the site of Hotel Budapest, opened in 1967, which will preserve the cylindrical shape of the hotel, but will be completely reborn inside. The 63-meter building will offer a special panorama and hotel-level comfort. Tima Zoltán, design director of KÖZTI, and László Balassa, deputy CEO of MAM Zrt. also spoke to RTL Fókusz.

An exclusive, 230-page book was published on the 75th anniversary of KÖZTI, which presents defining chapters of Hungarian architecture both visually and content-wise, through the past three decades of KÖZTI. A review of the volume was published in Építészfórum.

The topping out ceremony of several office buildings on BudaPart, traditionally marking the completion of the building’s highest structure, took place in June 2025. The BOL office building has been designed by a KÖZTI team, led by Peschka Alfréd and Borbély András architects.

Tima Zoltán, design director, shared his thoughts on the trends and challenges of contemporary Hungarian architecture in an international interview with USA Today. He emphasized the importance of preserving historical values, while highlighting the role of modern technological solutions and sustainability in today’s architectural practice.

Preservation and reconsideration of the modern buildings built in the socialist/communist era is one of the most exciting architectural challenges of our time. The Association of Hungarian Architects recently organized a timely conference on the renovability of post-war built heritage “living with us” and the challenges of their protection. The current topic was also catalyzed by the case of the Körszálló, which originally was (and is) designed by KÖZTI. This important event has been published as an appendix of OCTOGON.

The building of the Slachta Margit Special College and Student Hostel is a creative and perfect example of how changes in the function of a building, resulting from economic and social changes, do not necessarily require radical interventions, but rather attentive, thoughtful and innovative solutions. The Hungarian Management Training Foundation commissioned KÖZTI with the design of the building’s transformation into a student hostel and special college. The article about this can be found in the next issue of OCTOGON.

The time when only a few fanatics were passionate about Hungarian architecture of the sixties and seventies is slowly passing. Although there were many reasons for the lack of enthusiasm, nowadays more and more people notice the value and beauty in some of the more successful buildings of the era. The Budapest100 architectural and cultural festival also chose the architecture of the seventies as its central theme. Tudas.hu explored the architecture of the era with the help of contemporary photos.

Among the iconic late modern buildings of Budapest, the Körszálló (round hotel), towering on the edge of the Buda hills, holds a special place. Designed by György Szrogh and opened in 1967, the hotel is not only interesting from an architectural point of view. In a photo report, hely.hu showed what the building, designed by KÖZTI, looked like in its heyday and what it looks like today in its pre-renovation state.

Tima Zoltán, design director of KÖZTI, responded to the allegations published in some media outlets regarding the demolition and reconstruction designs of the Körszálló, in the columns of Építészfórum.