Budapest City Hall

  • Date: 31 October 2008
New Image

Budapest, 31 October 2008 - Erick van Egeraat has won the international competition to design the City Hall in the centre of Budapest. From a field of 18 participants, an international professional jury selected his proposal, which combines restoration of the existing 18th century baroque building and new, futuristic wings to create a contemporary Main Square. The new City Hall will comprise 118.000 square metres of gross floor area, 40.000 square meters of which will be newly built.  The project’s completion is scheduled for 2012.

In accordance with the objectives of the competition, this design, with its open courtyards and flexibility of use, reflects transparency and democracy. It will at once re-introduce pedestrian flow from the boulevard to the river Danube and offer a spectacular view of the city from the platform on top of the entrance gate. Erick van Egeraat’s design is based on combining three distinct functions: culture, commerce and administration. It proposes direct access to the underground station, where the old city walls will be excavated and put on display. At ground floor level, the building is entirely open to the public and comprised of, among others, retail facilities, cafés and restaurants. The upper floors mainly host rentable offices, city offices and a design hotel. The entire façade reflects the transition between old and new, between closed and open by forming a visual wall along the boulevard. The Cultural Forum is the most public space within the program and is strategically located in the centre of the complex. According to Erick van Egeraat, “the Forum acts as the connector between the past and the future, between the historical chapel space and the new building, and between the historic and the contemporary baroque to complement and emphasize each other.”