Havanna Weekly Market

Architects: Ferenc Keller, Barnabás Láris
Text: Krisztina Somogyi
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky

The Havanna housing estate in District 18, Budapest, has been best described by a serious drop of the population and bad social strain and stress. The local government of Pestszentlőrinc launched development projects in a variety of locations to improve the life-standards of local people. The goal of the Havanna Weekly Market is to create an adequate infrastructure to facilitate the spontaneously started marketing in the parking zone in front of the bands of large houses. Architects Ferenc Keller and Barnabás Láris planned a well-structured intervention to establish order and values in the area on the periphery of the capital city. The new building is a follow-up of the architecture of its context, preserves the tendencies and directions of the existing settlement, whilst focussing on the scales of personal interaction. This intervention realizes a minimal requirement of space in the shape of the building. The shops are densely strung along a structural core, on a single spatial row. In its closed state, the market itself has a wall neutrally present with a simple tracery and high-standard execution. When opened, its appearance is defined by the stock of goods, the colourful movable screens and the bustle of shoppers. The difference between the empty, monochromatic and the lively, coourful market day has been gapped by the designers using a colourful palette for the concrete pavement.

General design: Modulart Kft.
Leading architects: Ferenc Keller – Keller Műterem Kft., Barnabás Láris – Modulart Stúdió Kft.
Architects: Eszter Bors, Péter Böröcz
Environment: Dániel Kontra
Client: Budapest Főváros XVIII. kerület, Pestszentlőrinc-Pestszentimre Önkormányzata
Main contractor: Mozaik Építőipari Kft.