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Old Town Hall of Buda, monument preservation reconstruction









Architect
Szabó Levente
Company
Hetedik Műterem Kft.
Designed in
2015
Built in
2018
Address
1014 Budapest, Úri utca 21.
Prizes
Budapest Award of Architectural Excellence, Award Recipient, 2019
In 2015, the architect prepared the building permit and construction plans for the complete monument preservation reconstruction of the former Town Hall of Buda, covering the courtyard with a roof and converting the attic. The purpose of the renovation of the building of unparalleled historical value was twofold: on the one hand, to completely reconstruct the building, which was basically Baroque but with significant medieval parts and preserved the periods’ fascinating material, structural and spatial imprint, on the other hand, to revitalize the ensemble worthy of today's needs.
The Old Buda Town Hall, having a nearly 800-year-old history, is located next to the Szentháromság tér, in the center of the Castle District, one of the oldest and most reputable parts of Buda. The building functioned as a town hall for 160 years and over 70 years it was the seat of the magistracy of District I. It had been a gendarmerie, later a school, and, after the World War II, museums and research institutes operated there. The way the building is renovated carries an important message: IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO SO. At a high level, considering every detail, and using durable materials. In addition, the building’s main thing to say is that history in general does not stop, neither the history of architecture. Therefore, first we have to explore and understand existing memories, however, when it comes to a new function, we have the right to reinterpret the built-in materials and to systematize the imprints of different ages so that they continue to appear as a single whole and not as a random quotation.
In this case the architects started from the Baroque conditions, and presented every different period relative to this, sometimes placing them in a new context. Contemporary additions are not intrusive, but they clarify the areas of new intervention. The required technological background is almost imperceptible in the house, which is usually a serious issue to be solved in such an old building. The furniture is consistently appearing with a pure design, often hiding the technical elements responsible for the operation of the building. In case of the Town Hall reconstruction, both goals of the developer – preserving and creating value – were realized in an exemplary way worth to be followed.
Lead architect
Szabó Levente DLA
architects
Alkér Katalin, Bartha András, Biri Balázs, Terbe Rita DLA, Tolnai Zsolt
Collaborators
Barta Fruzsina, Bartis Kata, Dolmány Rita, Halmai Dénes, Kunczi András, Marton Rozália, Páll András, Pelle Zita, Polgárdi Ákos, Simon Orsolya, Szigeti Nóra, Villányi Norbert
Collaborators (competinion phase)
Gyulovics István, Kovács Zsófia
Photo
Danyi Balázs








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