ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Gomba, Móricz Zsigmond körtér, in Budapest, Hungary by Hetedik Műterem Ltd.July 31st, 2014 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Hetedik Műterem Ltd The construction of the transportation-related building on Móricz Zsigmond Circus, Budapest was completed in 1943, according to the design of József Schall; and because of its shape later it was identified as the “Mushroom” by the word of mouth. Originally a departure building, cash- and waiting room and a café were placed in three building sectors under the roof with a ring-shaped layout. A fountain stood in the middle of the ring (stone relief by László Szomor). Shortly after its completion the building was roughly converted, transformers were placed into one of its circle sectors. The structure has started to be a slum-like environment already in the ’70s. For its particular spatial space composition and extremely slim reinforced concrete details it has been recorded as a listed building under monumental protection since 1997.  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai
 Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai
 Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai The circular layout of the building was initially determined by the spatial arrangement of the trams’ looping tracks intertwining the building itself. In the early 2000s, the use of the tracks was no longer pertinent; and since their dismantling, the circle shaped building was left alone waiting for its renewal. Recently, the function has been changed to a public space pavilion, and for the completion of this role the district council announced a design competition in 2009. Based on the design awarded with first prize, the plans were finished in 2012 and the building in 2014. The main basic design concept was to achieve the perfect circular symmetry, and for this aim the architects undertook the reinterpretation of the classical conservation considerations. The original building contours were reconstructed, then frameless curved thermal glass, curved fine concrete panels and contemporary details were added to the building. The pillars, beams and cantilevered roof slabs were repaired and reinforced during a complete structural renovation. Also local reconstructions were needed; and such, the raising of a sunken section of the building was a brilliant period of the implementation.  archive-Újbudai-Kulturális-Intézet The design and the proportion of wall and glass structures were reformulated. Unified parapet walls were built along the outer arc, while glass structures starting from the floor level were installed along the inner arc. The back cross wall of each circle sectors and the only inter-column section from the courtyard were designed with solid wall structure. On the one hand, this design largely restored the original wall-opening ratio; on the other hand it eliminated the former building-constraints (steps, varying floor levels and parapets etc.). A further advantage of this design was a kind of asymmetry between the interior and the exterior, which was fully justified by the changed spatial situation (noisy and busy circus and quiet, calm courtyard).  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai Some solutions could be used that were not possible or only to a limited extent in 1942-43: an essentially frameless thermal glazing was installed with a circular layout, and it was inserted in the cladding plane of the solid wall sections. Prefabricated curved fine concrete panels were placed in front of the solid wall sections.  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri The front facades of the certain building sectors are completely open towards the passageways and semi-open spaces, thus the circular generosity and the relationship between the inner and outer places is further strengthened. The huge sliding glass walls may make the integrated coexistence of the closed and roofed semi-open areas possible.  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai For the sake of transparent design, on the one hand the service functions were formed as large-scale functional furniture not contacting the front, on basis of the ‘house-in-the-house’ concept. On the other hand, most of the service functions were placed on the partially developed basement level. The architects managed to minimize the size of the furniture-boxes by placing the staircases between the boxes and the façade.  rchive-Elemérné-Marsovszky-1942 One critic of the building, Csaba Masznyik said: “The view of the renewed building is considered as a resounding success both by the architects and the general public, but not by art historians dealing with listed monuments (at least by those I know). In my opinion, the renovated Mushroom became a brilliantly beautiful, artistically developed and remarkably sophisticated building, as if it would be located not in Hungary, but somewhere in the West. (…) The approach free from harsh gesture, but focusing consciously on the essence, on the ‘message’ of the building, led to a metamorphosis: the Mushroom turned to be a contemporary building in which the past is present with a great power.” (METSZET 2014/4)  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  archive-Fortepan-1952  rchive-Fortepan-1956  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Balázs Biri  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Tamás Szentirmai  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd  Image Courtesy © Hetedik Műterem Ltd
Contact Hetedik Műterem Ltd
Category: Building |
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
