The Past Answers The Future BUDAPEST SOUTH GATE INTERNATIONAL MASTER PLAN DESIGN COMPETITION PROPOSAL BY: SPACEFOR PARADIGMA ARIADNÉ LÉPTÉK TERV MIHÁLFFY KRISZTINA
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Table of Contents 01 _Prologue 02_Concept 03_Budapest’s Features 04_Students Square 05_Green Slope 06_Climate Strategy 07_Levels of Services 08_The Riverbank 09_Phases 10_Wholesale Market 11_Transportation 12_Landcape Concept
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Architecture quality and public spaces are key features of the city of Budapest. Its history and its eclectic downtown inspired by Haussmann’s city planning in combination with modernist city rehabilitations after World War II give unique character to the city. Budapest is full of ideas and innovative urban solutions, some successful, others not. Recent decades of urban development in Budapest has proven that the city’s streets, parks and urban monuments are great assets that can create inspiring, playful and attractive atmosphere when combined with contemporary public space design. The rehabilitation of Main Street (Fő utca) on the Pest side and the lively urban park of Erzsébet and Deák tér showed Budapest’s citizens and entrepreneurs that the city’s unique architectural features deserve services, culture and city life.
01 _Prologue
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The aim of our proposal is to contribute to the development of the city of Budapest without being retrograde, anachronistic or nostalgic in our approach. For this reason, we first observed Budapest and its defining characteristics and used them as inspiration in the development of the proposed master plan.
The positive outcomes of this approach: 6
01 _Prologue
I . II . III . IV . V .
We can conceive an urban fabric in this part of the city where surrounding urban fabric is yet undefined. We regard the former industrial zones around the site as crucial point in our proposal. We would like to make a bold statement here and create an urban environment that is worth of future developments, subsequently generating real urban areas that we can be as proud of as we are of the streets, squares and parks of Budapest.
We can create links between downtown and uptown Budapest. Not just a theoretical one, but a physical one made of concrete and steel. Currently there is no development outside of the greater ring of Budapest where the aim is to install an urban environment inspired by downtown Budapest. Now there will be. As such we are giving a boost to further urbanized developments along the Danube river.
Following the execution of the plan, citizens of Budapest will be more connected to this new area of the city. A circular square seems familiar to us because of KodĂĄly Circus, and an octagonal square feels like home to the citizens of Budapest because it resembles the Oktogon Square. Streets that are strictly perpendicular to the Danube are also very familiar to anyone who has ever sailed on the Danube through Budapest.
Furthermore, the spatial diversity inspired by Budapest can contribute to social diversity. We know that different types of lodging places attract habitants from different social groups and classes. This is particularly true for Budapest where people living in different areas tend to have very different relation to culture and live life differently. This spatial polarity is the foundation of a true city.
Last but not least, as climate change becomes ever more present shading and urban microclimate is more and more valuable. By applying in the master plan important features of Budapest’s historical character we produce streets, enclosed courtyards and arcades that respond to the impact of climate change.
01 _Prologue
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ur overall concept is much more than just mixing borrowed architectural elements. It provides answers to the following questions: How to design a city next to the Soroksรกri Danube Branch? How to design a city on a former industrial area with an impact on it? How to design a city where a massive, more than 200 meter long building is dominating the area? How to conceive a city plan that can evolve into a neighbourhood? These questions also highlight the main theses of our master plan. The Danube Quay is a unique characteristics by the South Gate to be considered and implemented in our plan with the goal to encourage people to engage in new water activities in Budapest. The fact that the South Gate area and its surroundings are brownfields implies that only something unexpected and different can change the face of the area and create real neighbourhood. As designers we felt that it was also impossible to neglect the compelling power of the Wholesale Market Hall, a building that is simply too big to hide, too big to not give it our full attention and celebrate, and also too valuable to radically change it. 8
02 _Concept
We believe that our answers to the above four questions will help improve real communities in the South Gate. A real urban fabric can help avoid a ghost town effect.
At the beginning of the design process we already agreed that the enormous land between the Wholesale Market Hall and the Soroksรกri Danube Branch need to become a green park and a public space in the future. This decision led us to the final concept of our proposal and determined the focus in the city fabric we have conceived. 02 _Concept
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We have literally cut the development process into three parts in order to define different quarters inside the Budapest South Gate. The division of the quarters can solve the biggest challenge of real estate development, the challenge of inviting 8000 + 3500 students, residents, cultural institutes and companies to a city without a potential conflict between the original inhabitants of the Budapest South Gate and the newcomers of the Student City, while facilitating the increase of innovative activities. We placed most of the dormitory buildings on the southern part and attributed future business building developmental efforts to the northern part. Between the two parts there is a whole quarter dedicated to innovation, knowledge transfer and leisure. This part also has a driving central element, an institute with all the required qualities essential to have companies and students acting and thinking together. Can the National Széchényi Library be as inspiring as a start-up headquarter? It certainly should be! We are not simply placing a prestigious Hungarian institution with a rich heritage on this part of the city but are redefining the role of library in the history of Hungarian entrepreneurship. This city quarter will be a meeting point for students, universities, companies and the enormous archive of National Széchényi Library. Hence the name: Innovation Market. This largely resembles how our city works by means of services and functions, but the conception of the three parts also remains within the urban fabric. The Southern and Northern parts were designed to resemble a city that is inspired by the features of
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02 _Concept
Budapest. The buildings located there are not simply residential buildings with courtyards but are also key components that empower the whole quarter to effectively respond to climate change. The plan lays out streets in parallel with the Soroksár Danube Branch with transportation being their main purpose, such as pedestrian sidewalks, cycle lanes, motor vehicle roads organised in order of importance. The streets perpendicular to the river are green promenades only for walking and other forms of leisure and entertainment activities. The middle part in between is where we left the area empty and designed a World Class Public Space. No other cities in Europe have a park like this, surrounded with facades on three sides and a river on the fourth. Moreover, no other park has such a huge slope descending directly into the Danube. This park does not finish at the quays but in the Danube itself. Our main park doesn’t finish by the river but enters the river and takes a turn toward Budapest’s first Fluid Public Space. Time to walk barefoot on the Danube Quay! The landscape design of this huge green park substantially differ from the Southern and Northern part of our master plan in order to give its surroundings a more distinct character and some playfulness to the architecture of the middle quarter. The land layout is covered with cross-shaped green elevations, providing flat platforms across the slope with different functions: foundation for some of the buildings of the Innovation Market complex, green terraces for an amiable park environment, or little islands in the river branch.
City with three parts Budapest South Gate as Future Business District
Experties + Capital
Well designed urban grid with parallel streets, high-rise buildings and triangle squares.
Innovation Market, Student Park
National SzĂŠchĂŠnyi Library
Playful urban layout to encourage creativity and quality relaxation
Student City with urbanfabric inspired by Budapest
Capacity + Knowledge
Budapest style urban squares, low-rise buildings and lively promenade at the Danube Quay.
02 _Concept
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Application of Budapest’s features
Arcades and storefronts – Ground floors of buildings are more comparable to public spaces than to simple rooms. Cafés, public laundries, restaurants, libraries, banks are all located on street level, where you can walk or sit. Arcades and friendly storefronts can enforce these connections between external and internal public spaces. We know this effect really well from Budapest.
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Unexpected modernism – Budapest has thousands of modernist buildings built after World War II, which appear in unexpected parts of the city. Rows of eclectic buildings one after another and at the end of the block a modernist building pops out with double the height, or a modernist building erected out of nowhere in the middle of a gigantic park in the city center. This fascinating fact of Budapest cannot just be ignored.
03_Budapest’s Features
Total Squares – Budapest learned many things from Haussmann’s plan of Paris. The octagonal, rectangular, circus squares in a row on an avenue are familiar to everyone who have once visited any European city. These elements are present in the city of Budapest too. During our design process we have incorporated these wellknown squares in the Northern quarter of the Budapest South Gate Student City.
Application of Budapest’s features
Accidental Squares – Although architects and cityplanners have an eternal wish to design perfect cities, existing conditions always diverge from these noble visions. Luckily, because these unintentional elements of the city fabric are always the liveliest and most loveable areas. Hefty avenues run into nothing, welldesigned urban grid intersect the medieval inner city are all indispensable elements of a city.
Perpendicular streets to the Danube – Look at all the streets in Budapest, while the Danube curves along the city, streets extend toward the river in a perpendicular shape. Why do we want to change this legacy? Perpendicular streets are also handy when considering future developments on the other side of Soroksár Road because these streets will be the shortest routes to reach the Danube.
Those little elements which make you happy – Your experience with the city is based on interfaces, both digital and analogue. Advertising columns, billboards, traffic sings, newspaper stands have always had a stronger impact on us than a facade of a building. Likewise, Budapest has always had these small elements, including well-designed and vernacular ones.
03_Budapest’s Features
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Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy
St. Mark Square, Venicem Italy
Place Plaza Piazza lenght:Mayor 226 m ; area:Navona 10 988 m seles Madrid Rome ium Spain Italy
Piazza St. Square Square lenght:Navona 179 m ;Mark area: 13Trafalgar 909 m Rome Venice London Italy Italy United Kingdom
113long: m 119 m 226 m long: 2 2 988 m2 207 m area: area: 9721 m10
long: 226long: m 179long: m 183 m 2 area: 10 988 m213 909 area: area:m22 968 m2
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Times Square, New York, USA
Navona Times lenght: 161 m ; area: Square 8 182 m me New York aly USA A square is only remarkable if it has long: a unique 226 m 161feature. m 2 our aim 0 988Consequently, m area: 8 182 m2 was, on the one hand, to create an urban park in the middle of the Budapest South Gate Student City that could become a destination for tourists and Budapesters alike. On the other hand, we also wanted to create an open space for 8500 students to socialize and use as an “open lounge”. Designing a world-class park may seem at first a difficult task with lots of hidden challenges. Nevertheless, a closer look at the world’s most famous parks and squares will show a few very significant common attributes: 2
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04 _Students Square
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Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Trafalgar Square Plaza Mayor Grand Place lenght: 119 m ; area: 9721 m London MadridBrusseles United Kingdom Spain Belgium 2
long: 183 m 119 long: m 113 m long: 2 area: 22 968 m area: area: 9721 m26 207 m2
Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom Alexander Platz Zócalo lenght: Trafalgar 183 m ; area: 22Square 968 m2
London BerlinMexico Ci United Kingdom Germany Mexico
long: 183long: m 189long: m 149 2 area: 22 968 m216 373 area: m36 area: 030
Zócalo, Mexico City, Mexico Zócalo lenght: 149 m ; area: 36St. 030Mark m2
Square Piazza Navo Mexico City Venice Rome Mexico Italy Italy
long: 149long: m 179long: m 226 m 2 2 area: 36 area: 030 m13 909 m10 area: 988
Diákok parkja, Budapest, Hungary lenght: 152 m ; area: 38 200 m2
Designing a world-class park may seem at first a difficult task with lots of hidden challenges. Nevertheless, a closer look at the world’s most famous parks and squares will show a few very significant common attributes:
No small square can be world-famous
The Main Park we designed at Budapest South Gate Student City is not a small one. In fact, it is immense. All the exceptional squares around the world are vast, minimum over a hundred meters in one direction. Our square is 152 meters by 252 meters large, delimited from one side by the Danube river.
Importance of Exact Boundaries
Void spaces are defined by strict boundaries. A boundary can be a conjunction of buildings, or one individual building or nature. The site has already two boundaries: the massive establishment of the former Wholesale Market Hall and the river branch of the Danube. Since most squares have four borders, the other two are going to be new college buildings starting from the heart of the Student City and finishing above the Danube river.
One Single Attraction
One square can bear only one attraction. The attraction of our square comes from its dominating character. A slightly low slope descending directly into the Danube is fascinating as there is no other place along the Danube with similar characteristics. This move enables us to come into direct contact with the water at Budapest South Gate and joins the water to the riverbank in a seamless way.
Combination of Square and Park
A great square has both green and paved elements. Our Main Square at a first glance looks like nothing but a park, however the cross-shaped platforms scattered around, both covered and plane, can provide surface for service pavilions, playgrounds or even soapboxes. This park can really provide what an urban square can.
04 _Students Square
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Green Slope World Class Public Square and Park
The Green Slope’s most attractive point is where it makes contact with the water. At that part the solid urban square converts into something new, which we called “fluid public square”. The meadow enters the river allowing you to walk, play, have a drink while sitting on a chair and dipping your toes in the cool water.
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05 _Green Slope
Fluid Public Space
Solid Public Space
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The idea of a Fluid Public Square may sound unusual, but in fact it already exists in many places around the world. Nevertheless, Budapest South Gate Student City could be the first place on Earth where you can enjoy its recreation potential along a 250-meter long riverbank. There is no other city with a similar artificial square where small islands, chairs, tables or stages can easily be installed. GSPublisherVersion 0.44.100.100
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Beyond the watery part of this huge square, students, Budapesters and tourists will also find the regular park areas very much attractive. The 150-meter long meadow extending from the Innovation Market to the Danube has a 5 percent inclination. Despite being massive the park still remains protected as it is delimited by monumental buildings on three sides, while six streets that are entering to the space create an effervescent ambient and traffic in the area GSPublisherVersion 0.44.100.100
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05 _Green Slope
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The Climate Cube The building architype of Budapest South Gate and Student City define passive cooling strategy trough courtyards, arcades and terraces
Green terraces on top
Intensive green courtyard
Arcades everywhere!
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06_Climate Strategy
Higher density! – Carefully designed streets and courtyards can create a microclimate and allow space for the massive Student Park The modernist concept of the relation between buildings and void spaces cannot give an answer to climate change. Squareresembling, wide streets and individual building blocks are not able to mitigate the warming urban climate. Our thesis that ‘The Past Answers The Future’ highlights that the historical character of Budapest combined with a contemporary approach offers a solution for extremely hot summer days and can mitigate the heat in an entire city quarter.
According to scientific studies on urban climate: Courtyards with intensive greenery are a tool to create microclimate in a building, which can lower the temperature of a building by several degrees(!) compared to its surrounding areas. More courtyards in one city quater obviously mean better microclimate.
Green roof is a passive tool to protect the building from the heat of the sun. That is why we put passive greenery on all the courtyard buildings we design. On the other hand, greenery on the rooftop create terraces that act as a shade, while significantly contributing to college life also.
Arcade has never become obsolete and will never be. Especially, if an arcade can provide solution to create shadow, which can be really useful on muggy summer days, while one is walking along the city. The cooling potential of an arcade can be higher if we plant trees next to it.
Based on these study findings and our observations, we have created the so-called Climate Cube. The Climate Cube is an archetype of all the buildings we designed on our master plan that embodies all the built consequences of urban cooling solutions. The Climate Cube is a building with a courtyard, with a multi-level terrace on top, and arcades all around it. During the design process we discovered that these tools are great to boost city life.
06_Climate Strategy
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Levels of services – mixing college and urban life The more levels of public spaces, the richer the services you can offer on those levels. For example, a very diverse college life can concentrate on the terraces of a college building, and it also helps to focus college life to open spaces of the Student City. If there are streets, arcades, terraces, that is, both private and public spaces, then students have possibilities to find themselves a spot depending on their mood to socialize or be alone.
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07_Levels of Services
Connecting the water to the quays
Our intention was to increase the possibilities to reach the branch, so we duplicated the promenades and designed a lower promenade right next to the water, also connected to the Green Meadow, and a higher promenade directly connected to the college buildings. Both promenades provide services.
08_The Riverbank
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Phases – only concrete can be enough convincing Wishes, statements, manifestos and declarations cannot be as dead proof as the solid concrete. When a wall, a pillar, a ceiling is moulded, in that moment there is a point of no return, the point when a decision is made. The concept about these phases was led by this recognition. Our master plan pays really small attention to the question of the re-routing of railway line No. 150. Nevertheless, it is not
1 First Phase - Hostels for 8.500 Students - National SzĂŠchĂŠnyi Library - Sport and City functions
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09_Phases 08_Phases
about forgetting its significance. It is only about accepting the fact that a whole city quarter is designed almost for eternity. In this historical perspective it is not relevant when the railway line No. 150 is rerouted. Our concept is adequate in its phasing when it demonstrates a level of ignorance about that railway line. We believe this approach can be another driving force to move forward with the affair of re-routing.
2 Second Phase - Plus 3.500 accomodation - Innovation Market - Sport and City functions
3 Third Phase - Offices and commercial - Co- and social houseing - Real estate developements
From Wholesale Market to Innovation Market The Wholesale Market Hall still remains a market hall but for knowledge transfer, education, archiving and trading with these goods. We believe that knowledge exchange between the actors of Budapest South Gate is inevitable to turn it into a real city. To the post-industrial and architectural heritage of the Wholesale Market Hall, a layer of cultural and functional innovation has been added. The space is not only an creative cultural hub but enhance the conditions for social interaction and creative work. In the main floor a Mediterranean Garden has been placed invigorating the public space and bringing it closer to human scale. The effect of
this surprising element takes out the visitors from everyday life, stopping them, creating an environment suitable for better social interaction. The plant associations have been chosen carefully to adapt to the climatic endowments of Budapest, ensuring energy efficiency in terms of maintenance and control. To provide suitable living conditions a raining irrigation system and an LED grow light system has been designed maintaining the required level of relative humidity (RH between 50-70 percents). These systems mimic and complement the natural conditions in terms of climate mitigation and sustaining the sufficient photoperiod required by the selected plant associations.
10_Wholesale Market 08_Phases
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Transportation The main means of transportation of Budapest South Gate are public transportation and individual non-motorized transport. The traffic system of this new human scale and liveable district is based on modern ideas, while it is easily integrated to the transportation system of Budapest. The area can be approached by public transport, but the new infrastructure has to be a basis of long-term goals (eg. minimize individual vehicle transport, minimize parking spaces, direct access tramways, attractive facilities for bicycle transport). The fastest transport route to Budapest City Center is the metro line M5 also from Csepel Island as well as from the outskirts of the Student City. This gives direct access from the outskirts of the South Gate to Kalvin Square, but it leaves out the Student City, the highest populated area of the South Gate. The intermodal hub to be built at the Danubius station gives multiple transfer possibilities, not only for the city center, but also for east-west directions, long-distance and local destinations. This is located in the northern part of the area, but within walking distance from the office buildings. For cyclists coming from longer distances there are B+R bicycle parking spaces. The effective operation of the intermodal hub and the public transport should be supported by mobility hubs. Detailed passenger information helps the effective usage of the multi-modal transport system. The public transport line of the Student City can be mainly achieved by the extension of tram line 2, on the other hand tram line 24 can take passengers to the east direction mainly in the morning and afternoon rush hours. The internal transport is based on walking and cycling, which is supported by the tram lines and the bus lines that give access to the Buda side. The extension of tram line 2 is not only functional, but also this is one of the
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11_Transportation
world’s most beautiful tramlines, which gives access not only to the historical center, but also a new and unique part of the city. The tramline makes the Pest side accessible, but it does not give direct transport possibility to the Buda side. The Buda side (eg. Infopark, BME) can be accessed by the campus buses. The timetable and route of the buses are flexible, it can be changed to meet actual needs. At low occupancy these buses can serve other routes, thus not adding too much operational cost. The electric buses are cheaper to operate than trams and have zero emissions, therefore beside walking and cycling the whole area could be smog free. The route of the bus is fairly simple, which is a good opportunity to conduct a pilot project for self-driving buses. In the planning of the South Gate area it was important to create space for walking and cycling transportation. The residential buildings, institutions, service areas are set in distances where the above mentioned transport modes are used. The whole area is accessible by bicycle, its close location to the city center ensures high number of visitors. In order to increase the popularity of bicycles the area provides quality infrastructure, dense coverage of public bike, e-cargobike and e-scooter systems, which together give the basis of public transport. Beside the soft transport modes, it is required to also ensure space for the motorized transportation. Through traffic is not supported. In residential areas only the residents and local shops/services can use the shared spaces for motorized transportation. The lesser use of cars can be achieved by minimizing the number of parking spaces and providing easy access to car sharing systems. The building and transportation density follows the functions of the areas. The traffic in the areas north (Kvassay Jenő street) and next to Soroksåri Road is more intense
(metro, tram, vehicle). The intensity of the traffic decreases towards the Danube and to the south city gate. The streets are narrower, public transport receives more importance and at the inner nature resembling areas only soft transportation remains. Every area can be accessed by vehicle, but the ratios are different. The accessibility of the inner areas is greatly increased by the two pedestrian-bicycle bridges over the Small-Danube. These give east-west directional transportation routes between the Pest side and the Csepel island. The use of this east-west direction transport
Budapest 2014 Budapest existing transportation diagram
increases the development of both sides. The sport facilities on Csepel island can be reached by foot or by bicycle from Student City and by car and public transport from Galvani bridge. The extra traffic loads of the sport events can be solved with flexible arrangement of electric buses. For frequent sport events it is recommended to build Bus Rapid Transit system. In the area next to the river side and between the Extreme Sports Center, Athletic Hall and the Kayak-canoe slalom track only non-motorized traffic is allowed.
Budapest South Gate 2030 South Gate planned transportation diagram
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Soroksรกr Danube Branch Intensity the means of transportation on the master plan from Soroksรกr road to Soroksรกr Danube branch
11_Transportation
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Landscape Concept Fundamental to the Budapest South Gate master plan is the ability to blend the mixed function real estate development and the nature based open space in an integrated urban fabric. Our concept for urban fabric e.g. outdoor and indoor spaces imply more than just individual components as buildings or public squares might be perceived. The well-designed urbanscape stimulates its inhabitants and create a healthy environment for life and social interaction. These high-standard elements are vital to an attractive city as well as the social, economic and environmental benefits connected with them. Approaching the master planning process with this philosophy, the design is composed of a series of project areas, seamlessly integrated through green and blue infrastructures that provide the connectivity and improve accessibility in the whole development area. The beauty of the proposed landscape design comes from the simplicity of structure that allows the green to connect everything in a very human scale but still in a systematic level. All the designed sport facilities, the residential and service oriented sites have been connected through the underlying layer of the designed landscape. The green spaces provide access to the project areas, meaning that there is an unbroken flow between all the desired and designed functions starting from downtown Pest through the intermodal junction and the Athletic arena to the City Park and even the Rowing track. Referring to the main call of the master plan we found a unique opportunity in the site to provide the so much needed connection to the river. The Danube is the very essence of Budapest itself, furthermore the core and cause of its existence. Even though, as of yet the city is lacking the tangible water experience. The landscape design provides
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12_Landscape Concept
accessibility to the water in different places under different circumstances, meaning that diverse waterfronts and different experiences are created. Currently the suburban railway - although providing fast connection between Budapest City Centre and Csepel Island - limits the possibilities of developing any pedestrian and bike friendly connection along the Danube. The line acts as a strong physical barrier between the city users and the riverbank. Removing this line would give us an opportunity to extend the existing river promenade currently finishing at the Millennium Cultural Centre and National Theatre. The new promenade would strengthen the connection with the city centre, allow for free movement of pedestrians and cyclist all the way to our master plan area and continue further south. The promenade would reach the grounds of the proposed Athletic Stadium from where the users have the choice to either dive into the contemporary sleek design of the new Student City or cross the car-free bridge and be carried away by the ‘naturalistic’ feel of the City Park and its facilities. City Park The Crown Jewel of the master plan proposal is merging the Southern and Northern project area in one major urban park ensuring the connectivity through green infrastructure followed by pedestrian footpath network. This means an undisturbed connection from the southern end of Budapest South Gate development zone through all the project areas to the riverbank of Downtown Budapest, therefore implementing the continuation of the river promenade while creating distinct characters along the zone. To the south the park would be accessible by several subways under the new road of Galvani Bridge. Those subways would allow smooth
“The landscape design provides accessibility to the water in different places under different circumstances, meaning that diverse waterfronts and different experiences are created.”
The park strengthens Budapest’s “Green Belt” concept extending the current green corridor composed by the major city parks Városliget, Népliget and the Margaret Island.
“The Danube is the very essence of Budapest itself, furthermore the core and cause of its existence. Even though, as of yet the city is lacking the tangible water experience.”
12_Landscape Concept
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crossing undisturbed by traffic for the residents of the future housing estate adjacent to the park. Riverbank walkway would provide panoramic view towards the Student City and Rowing Course. This urban park is as significant and unique element in the proposal, as it is for the urban structure of Budapest. The park strengthens Budapest’s “Green Belt” concept strategically extending the current green corridor composed by the major city parks Városliget, Népliget and the Margaret Island. The northern tip of Csepel Island is serving as an outstanding new opportunity to increase the biodiversity and the recreational green spaces of the city. The surface area of this urban park presents an empty canvas to be filled with a number of urban innovations answering the human needs and the growing pressure for adaptation and resilience. On the master plan level specific areas have been dedicated to different use such as sport and recreational facilities, reintroducing natural areas, productive landscapes and educational areas or unprogrammed spots with possibilities to be pinned in the future. The design allows for clear unobscured views towards the other side of the Soroksári branch where the new Youth Quarter would take place. The city fabric, with its straight line and geometric order inserts a bit of drama, contrasting sharply with the ‘naturalistic’ mood and feel of the park. Through understanding the focus on sports given by the facilities and the natural character of the urban park, emerges the outstanding opportunity for incorporating other sports. For example, a horse-riding center and related infrastructure but also educational route emphasizing the underlying opportunity in urban farming. Although the design allows us to spatially create access to the river, the debate over the water quality in the Soroksári river branch is still and ongoing topic. The unique opportunities that this branch give us – little water level fluctuation and very low flooding possibility compare to the other side of Csepel Island -
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also affect the water quality in a negative way. The issue can be handled in long term through improvements on the South-Pest Wastewater Treatment Plant’s technological customs. In the short-term though, and as an exemplary project a phytoremediation process could be introduced. Resulting in a wetland park where the significantly better water quality creates a healthy wet environment and as a secondary function understanding and raising environmental awareness addressing the effect of global urbanization and illustrating a smart and resilient way out. Moving to the eastern side of Csepel island the area surrounding the Sewage Treatment Plant has an important role being a flood zone and buffer for the surroundings during annual flood events. Our goal is to enhance this exact quality of the area which sets the conditions for unique and diverse habitat to develop. It is important to understand the fluvial processes of the river and utilise them in a contemporary way. We propose series of landforms and swales, mimicking fluvial topography shaped by the river that will slow down and accommodate water during flood events. The water would be filtered through series of beds initially seeded with riparian vegetation. In long term this area would be transformed into rich habitat, providing shelter for wildlife, but also recreational park for the local residents, and could also serve as an educational ground in order to understand fluvial processes and the importance of dealing with flooding by not building up the riverbanks but rather allowing natural cycles to occur. And most importantly the effect over water quality would be positively big. Promenades and urban avenues - axis - streets We consider the City Gate intermodal junction as the arriving point to our site. We designed an easy access from the junction leading to Athletic Arena through an avenue. The avenue ends in a big open space that provides conditions for temporary big events and venues. As previously
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mentioned a new river promenade would establish a strong north-south traffic-free axis, from Downtown to Budapest South Gate. The promenade at the Student City builds upon the existing character of the area, which also reflects the Downtown waterfront character. And similar to our proposed built structure, so is the promenade intentionally preserving its rigidity. The concept of the Student City, as the Inner City of Budapest, is based upon straight lines, strong axis and clear visual connections with key features such as the Gellert Hill. Our intention is to achieve a sharp contrast with the waterfront on the opposite side of Soroksari River Branch. Although here the promenade follows almost perfectly straight line which keeps a strong visual connection, the perception of space changes. Open areas with possible connection to the river suddenly changes to horizontally as well as vertically enclosed space with immediate access to water. Here an Urban Meadow brings a degree of drama with level difference starting from the water surface, which puts the historical building of Nagyvásártelep into the spotlight. The next promenade section is furthermore divided by the city’s perpendicular axes. In those key junctions the promenade challenges the people’s perceptions in different ways. We play with the understanding for up and down. Wide stairs lead to a lower level walkway, while at the same time the promenade continues above to merge into a ‘belvedere’. Standing there a person could develop a false sense of floating
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above the water surface. Finally the promenade leads to the starting point of the Olympic Rowing Course and more informal urban park. The park is fragmented by diagonally crossing footpaths. Here we have a stage for hosting bigger events related to water competitions but also free for any interpretation experience. Green Slope - the Urban Meadow Contrary to the ‘over-designed’ urban spaces, where the function and the use is determined by the design itself, the urban meadow is a free space open for interpretation. The urban meadow is simplicity itself in the most complex way. This gives its strength and coherence. A space with the ambiance of an open meadow in the nature, where the residents of the Student City can wander through freely. It’s a space to be filled with activities from the most common everyday life situations to unique events. The heritage building as the cultural and historical heart of the Student City requires a mental and spatial foreground to flourish. The lush green square serves not only as the base for the architectural piece to establish visual connection with the city on a bigger scale but also functions as a working outdoor part of the building. The conversation between the Market Hall’s inner design with the lush inner Mediterranean garden and the conceptual space creates an atmosphere where the line between indoors and outdoors, architecture and landscape design is blurred together.
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Such as the Market Hall requires its space, the Danube requires its own too in sense of visual and physical connection to the city fabric, allowing a conversation to be built up between the urban space, the water and the people as perceivers. Therefore the meadow is a light slope from the waterfront up to the Market Hall. The overlapping layer of installations in a grid system creates a more habitable space without suppressing the clean primary structure of the vertical and horizontal surfaces or the historical and cultural importance of the Market Hall. Urban squares The fabric of the Student City allows us to create an open space system similar to an organically grown city. The designed diversity of street and square typologies are experienced and used differently, resulting in an ultimate possibility of a diverse social life and a healthy environment. The urban squares are characterising the high city life that has been brought in the project area as part of the unique spirit of Budapest. They represent greatness and elegance, while the spaces are organized to be filled up with urban life. Their surface is a welcoming stand for events and urban life. The design of each one of the urban squares resemble the qualities of the architectural environment they are embedded in. Their spatiality gives a sense of space and direction to help reading and understanding the city. The mostly paved urban squares, although they may seem to go against the sustainability principles of the landscape design, are very much supportive elements of raising environmental awareness and they serve as tools to showcase conscious urban development tools from sustainable urban drainage systems to stormwater management. Residential parks The parks in the Student City urban fabric are serving as recreational zones for the residents
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in close proximity. Their importance is in their accessibility and the small scale services they offer to the residents supplementing the surrounding urban open space system with a higher ratio of green spaces and a possible, more interpretative use. They hold those expected functions that are not on debate given their fundamental existence in a 21st century metropolitan and that is the adequate and accessible greenery filled with recreational functions for every age group of residents. Therefore the proposal shapes the residential parks without the pressure to ruled by conceptuality but simply to serve the residents need to still keeping their own character. Wholesale Market Hall Mediterranean Garden To the post-industrial and architectural heritage of the Wholesale Market Hall, a layer of cultural and functional innovation has been added. The space is not only an creative cultural hub but enhance the conditions for social interaction and creative work. In the main floor a Mediterranean Garden has been placed invigorating the public space and bringing it closer to human scale. The effect of this surprising element takes out the visitors from everyday life, stopping them, creating an environment suitable for better social interaction. The plant associations have been chosen carefully to adapt to the climatic endowments of Budapest, ensuring energy efficiency in terms of maintenance and control. To provide suitable living conditions a raining irrigation system and an LED grow light system has been designed maintaining the required level of relative humidity (RH between 50-70 precent). These systems mimic and complement the natural conditions in terms of climate mitigation and sustaining the sufficient photoperiod required by the selected plant associations.
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BUDAPEST SOUTH GATE INTERNATIONAL MASTER PLAN DESIGN COMPETITION PROPOSAL 2018