M4 FŐVÁM TÉR STATION in Budapest, Hungary by sporaarchitects

The new metro line planned in Budapest is to connect South-Buda with the city center. 10 stations will be constructed in the first step. St. Gellért tér and Fővám tér stations are on the left and right banks of the river Danube.

Automatic Stairs

• Architect: sporaarchitects
• Project name: M4 FŐVÁM TÉR STATION
• Location: Budapest, Hungary
• Station designer: sporaarchitects – Tibor Dékány, Sándor Finta, Ádám Hatvani, Orsolya Vadász
• General architect of the M4 metro line: Palatium Stúdió Zoltán Erő, Balázs Csapó
• Engineering, installation: consortium of Főmterv, Uvaterv, Mott-Macdonald
• Design period: 2005-2011
• Construction period: 2006-2012
• Site area (floor area): 7100m2
• Construction area: 3000m2
• Photographer: Tamás Bujnovszky

Automatic Stairs & Hall in Metro Station

“FŐVÁM TÉR” station is a twin station of St. Gellért square, with a similarly complex structure; it is composed of a cut-and-cover box and tunnels. The complexity of the structure is even greater, since here a new tunnel for the tramline and a new pedestrian subway has to be constructed as well. Having the new underground station, Fővám tér will become a new gateway of the historic downtown of Pest.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Only a complex structural system could fulfil the requirements emerging from the proximity of the Danube and the given construction site. On that reason, the station is constructed of a cut-and-cover box and four tunnels.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

The station is divided into two main structural parts constructed using two different building methods. There is a box structure built through an open pit from the surface. Work pits are supported by slurry or pile walls. The other part of the station is under an existing building, it is built using NAT methods.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

The box will be supported by three levels of reinforced concrete beams, the structure of which will be similar to a net. There are three layers of this network, which keep the walls of the box like a bone-structure. The design of the box is determined by this sight of concrete net-structure. In the other part the tunnels have a curved cross section.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

The walls and the columns will be covered with printed ceramic tiles of the artwork type, reflecting to the Zsolnay ceramics of Gellért hotel, which is nearby the site. Due to the construction technology, huge rooms have been created in the inner spaces of the stations. The section of the space is proportional to the cross section of an average street in Pest, built in the eclectic period in the 19th century, so the station can be interpreted as an inverse street or square under the surface.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Playing on natural light has been an important aspect in the architectural formation of the entire line. The main goal – apart from giving enough light of course – is to show the architectural forming as much as possible.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

In the surface of Fővám tér a huge square will be created without traffic. This will allow the locating of glassy, crystalloid skylights, which will let the sunlight reach the platform level, emphasizing the unique character of the beam network.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

sporaarchitects is a Budapest based office – architects, designers, and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development. The four partners, Tibor Dékány (1968), Sándor Finta (1973), Ádám Hatvani (1972) and Orsolya Vadász (1976) opened practice in 2002, after gaining experience working for different Hungarian and international studios. All of them were graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). Among others, they currently work on one of Hungary’s most significant projects, the construction of the underground line called Metro4. This challenging design process requires matching innovative architecture with complex technological points of view.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

sporaarchitects was founded in order to develop an architectural practice that turns intense research and analysis of practical as well as theoretical issues into the driving forces of design. Often projects focus on ordinary aspects of everyday life, including the unappreciated or negative, that are enhanced or twisted in order to bring to the fore the unexpected potential of the things that surround us. At the core of our architecture is the ability to take a fresh look at things through experienced eyes.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Rich of multiple expertises the office is fueled by designers and experienced architects that jointly develop projects from early sketches to on-site supervision. The mutual use of the complementing teams as consultants ensures that the projects will never suffer from being too conventional nor too naive. By continually developing rigorous methods of analysis, experimentation and execution, sporaarchitects is able to combine experimental design research with efficient production.

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Courtesy of Tamás Bujnovszky

Tags: Budapest, Hungary

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