New Ethnography Museum and Visitors’ Centre, City Park, Budapest

Architects: Ferencz Marcel, Détári György
Text: Mária Tatai
Photos: György Palkó

A unique building to house the Etnography Museum has been completed as the second component of Liget Budapest Project. It was designed by NAPUR Architect Ltd. which received the first prize in the international invitational architectural tender in 2016. The „terrain building” returns much of the terrain excavated for the construction as it has a walkable green roof. The building creates a sweeping and dynamic scupturesque relief when viewed from above and from the direction of the two longitudinal sides, whilst its roof is a huge section of a ring, part of an imaginary circle with a diametre of 1 kilometre. Starting from the ground level the „slopes” function as multifunctional park surfaces. Almost 300 metre long, the part of the building above the ground is actually made up by two houses: the north-western wing is the „noisy” side with the main audience functions, such as the visitors’ centre of the Liget, the foodcourt, an events hall, children’s museum and rooms for museum pedagogy. The southeastern side is the „quiet” one, housing the professional and administrative functions, the library, offices and art pieces storage and treatment. Transport is also carried out on this side via a single underground passage along Dózsa György Road. Several units are connected with decks to the green roof, such as the events hall, the children’s and the café. This generous building is classified as an iconic museum with simple basic forms that evoke a wide variety of associations. This new contemporary Hungarian building has been placed on the global map of architecture.

General architecture: NAPUR Architect
Leading architect: Marcel Ferencz DLA
General architect: György Détári
Coordinator: Gergely Filó
Fellow architects: Viktor Ábel, Dávid Nyul, Csaba Grócz, Pál Holyba, Kinga Koralevicz, Mónika Mészáros
Interior design: Czakó Architect Ltd.
Structure: Exon 2000 Ltd.
HVAC: HVarC Ltd.
Current power, BIM: Spányi Partners Zrt.,
Weak current, acoustics: Animative Ltd.
Framework: FRT Raszter Ltd.
Geotechnology: Geoplan Ltd.
Fire protection: Prelko Ltd.
Museum technology: Silicon Computers Ltd.
Library technology: Régió Média
Environment protection: Vibrocomp Ltd.
Envorinment: Garten Studio Ltd.
Roads, traffic: Pannon Engineering Ltd.
Outdoor public utilities: GÉM Ltd.
BREEAM: Denkstatt Hungary Ltd.
Light technology: Made by Light Memix
Accessibility: NT Control
Kitchen technology: Teco-Gastro Bt.
Elevator: KONE
Glass walls: Frontoplan Ltd.
Automatics: IQ Ltd.