Architect: TIMA Zoltán
Fundamental architectural objective was the restoration the original characteristics of the former factory complex and the preservation of the stylized brick decoration on the facade. The original building is framed and partly complemented by the new wings. The new structures and the materials used are deliberately simple and different from the old ones, they communicate with each other in a tense way by design.
The original building complex on this plot was built in the 1910s as a warehouse of military clothes. During the industrial development after World War I, it was converted into a textile factory and later into a fine chemicals manufacturing plant. Several single-storey buildings were built around the main buildings and also in the internal courtyard due to the series of changes in function. In course of the reconstruction, the single-storey warehouses and service buildings located around the main buildings (and partly attached to them) were demolished, as well as the internal staircases and partition walls, the walled-up windows, the interior finishes, pipings and electric cables.
The floor plan was designed with the most flexible layout possible, without any information about the future tenants. The objective was to preserve the simple layout of the symmetrical building. At the same time, solutions offering the highest variability of arrangement also had to be taken into consideration to help the leasing of the floorspace. Five similar size office areas with about 7500 square metre floorspace have been established on each floor, with individual fire escape systems, and toilet blocks next to the staircases. These office areas can be turned into „A” category offices with higher than average ceilings and large windows. Each office block is accessible through the new main entrances. Two of these are located in the approximately eight metre wide gaps between the wings on the long sides. These entrance halls have transparent glass walls on both sides, appearing as towers as seen from the courtyard. The upper floors of the wings are connected by bridges. The third entrance, towards the railway, has been established within the building, in an opening through the ground floor. The wings on the eastern side, originally one storey lower than the main building, have been topped with new floors suitable for offices, adjusted to the architecture of the entrance halls. The office areas are served by a 600 car capacity parking garage built under the internal courtyard. A roof-garden with 30 to 145 centimetre thick topsoil has been established above the garage. This garden is a very important and spectacular component of the building complex, its geometry has been determined by the structural system of the building. In the southeastern corner of the garden, the octogonal brick chimney of the old factory has been preserved.
The building complex, which offers high quality office spaces with flexible arrangement and high standard services, won the Best office building of Budapest award in 2002, and it finished at the forefront in the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Award office buildings category in 2003.
Location: Budapest XI., Bocskai út 134–136. Built: 2002 Architect: TIMA Zoltán Associate architect: PERNESZ Ágnes Landscape architects: TIMA Zoltán, CSONTOS Péter, LAND-A Kft. Area: 39,000 m2
