Architectural competition – 1st Prize

Concept and text: Robert Gutowski

The building standing in the palatial quarter of Józsefváros, a district of Budapest, was returned to the Sacré Coeur order of nuns after the change of the political system. The enterprise of the order specialised in the utilisation of real estates named Sophianum Nonprofit Ltd. commissioned four designers to work out draft designs to restore the building standing next to the Károlyi-Csekonics Palace in downtown Budapest. The jury found the scheme submitted by Robert Gutowski the best of all. This concept prefers the demolition of the building even though it is a locally protected historic monument. The decision was received with mixed feelings and even rejection by the wider public, and as a result, the client decided not to implement the scheme despite the opinion of the jury.