Prisoners’ Health Centre, Berettyóújfalu

Architect: Attila Borsay
Text: Levente Móré
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky

At the intersection of clean architecture, clear spatial structure and strong functionalism, the Berettyóújfalu Health Centre is an unusual contribution that does not serve the public as such: it is the very first prison hospital in Europe. Standing as the largest building in the town, it was completed in 2020. However, it does not dominate the landscape, despite the fact that the three-storey facility with a gross floor area of 8,000 m2 has a staff of 200 and a capacity of 200 beds. Functionwise, it is unprecedented, not only in Hungary, but also in Europe, to have a stand-alone facility for the healthcare of prisoners. Every aspect of the structure has been designed in accordance with the German technical standards in force. The gradually unfolding spaces were composed along intersecting central axes to ensure the safety of the inmates while allowing staff to move around the building as easily as possible. A key design consideration of the project here was to ensure that the building, despite its highly complex internal workings, was transparent and easy to use. This is not only facilitated by the clear see-through floor plan: the monochrome use of the palette and the restrained character of the interior spaces have resulted in an unusually futuristic facility that is also easy to operate.

General planning: MG Architecture Studio
Senior architect: Gábor Márkus Dr
Lead architect: Attila Borsay
Architects: Nikolett Simó, Péter Bene, Lívia Plébán, Johanna Győri, Brigitta Bálint, Zsófia Pabián, Orsolya Németh-Zelenai, Bence Horváth, Ákos Müller, Bence Léstyán
Structure: Gábor Sámson
Interiors: Erika Ignácz
HVAC: Gábor Lór, Imre Szucskó, Imre Nagy
Electrical engineering: István Csányi
Framework: Péter Handa
Fire protection: András Székács
Kitchen technology: Gizella Kuruczné Szabolcs
Landscape: Brigitta Nádai
Hospital technology: Szilveszter Csordás
Medical technology: Gabriella Bondor, Ilona Kanosik
Radiation technology: Tamás Porubszky Dr
Accessibility: Noémi Bischotka
Elevator: Zsolt Makovsky
Security technology: Endre Kardos
Acoustics: András Kotschy
Lights: László Csernus
Soil mechanics: Zoltán Szabó
Geodesy: Tamás Ádám
Roads: László Tarcsai
Main contractor: WHB
Project manager: László Köllő
Technical supervisor: Imre Eperjesi, BMSK