ActiCity, Veszprém

Architect: Anthony Gall
Text: János Géczi
Photos: Balázs Danyi

The Veszprém-Balaton European Capital of Culture 2023 programme has ambitioned and targeted to revitalise existing, but out-of-use, valuable buildings to serve as venues for both traditional and innovative cultural events. One of these venues is the building in Külső-Püspökkert („Outer Bishopric Garden”), now a garden formerly functioning as a children’s shelter and then a hospital, which has now been reborn as ActiCity. This real estate and its garden has always been a place for nice walks, skating, playing tennis and doing other sports and games, and ActiCity, which now provides space and facilities for a new range of popular leisure activities is actually a continuation of these traditions. This concept was represented by László Bélafi who was joined by architects Anthony Gall, Lili Vass and Eszter Gall. The children’s hospital building was rebuilt almost intact on the exterior, with a glass-clad wing added to the northern side to house dance studios, a restaurant, a reception area and associated ancillary spaces. This old-and-new building, beautifully finished in every single detail, is solid and functional, well-equipped and can accommodate dozens of 60 to 100 m2 rooms for groups of various types of movement (such as dance, yoga, self-defence sports). The adjacent former laundry building can be accessed via a suspended corridor. The building itself has the largest and most modern event hall in the city, with rooms suited to host minor meetings, receptions and training facilities.

General planning: Gall and Partners
Leading architect: Anthony Gall
Architects: László Bélafi, Eszter Gall, Lili Kovács
Interiors: Eszter Gall
Structure: István Zalavári, József Sipőcz, Veronika Szentes – I-Quadrat Ltd.
HVAC: László Petrika, György Hajdú
Electrical engineering: András Peták, Zoltán Szurmai
Public utilities: Zoltán Szurmai, Péter Petrovai
Fire protection: Zsolt Farkas
Rehabilitation: Ágota Ruttkay, Anita Fodor
Landscape: Veronika Pápai, Viktória Morgan, Apolka Szabados