New Market Hall and Cultural Events Centre, Újpest

Architect: Zoltán Bun
Text: Szilvia Molnár
Photos: József Hajdú

Church, city hall, market place – the centre of a city can hardly do without these classic facilities. They are also independent points of reference that come together to represent the community’s potentials, intentions and conditions. In this approach, St Stephen’s Square in Újpest reflected the image of a community fostering the past. However, it turned out that purely the building reconstructions and the construction of new blocks are not enough here: the square is worth and has to be treated as a sacred site, a unique fabric of community and commerce within the framework of a comprehensive urban development concept. Zoltán Bun architect and his fellows worked out a scheme defined by the banning of motor traffic behind the old market place so as to integrate it with the square. By moving the most significant components of logistics beneath the site level, they let the building to be possessed by people, commodities and experiences from the ground floor to the exterior roof garden of the events zone. This transparent house featuring clear and light spatial relations, visible structures (monochrome concrete and steel structures, trapezoid sheets and glass) comprises two parts. The southern half is divided by a gallery, and contains the market hall with appr. 170 stands for sales and 60 commodity units, whilst the northern is the events centre taking up the upper floors also approachable from the hall. The concept of housing „two functions beneath one roof” guarantees an economically well-balanced operation for the building, whilst integration makes it an active part of St Stephen’s Square as a site for events, and it also associates the genre of a market with new meanings without stripping it of former interpretations.

General design: Firka Építész Stúdió Kft.
Leading architect: Zoltán Bun
Architects: Boglárka Balogh, Zsolt Dobos, Róbert Erdélyi, József Konrád, Veronika Kovács, Ildikó Palásti, Gergely Schöff, Áron Sümeghy
Structure: Péter Markovits, János Richter, Márton Szecsey – MTM Tanácsadó Mérnökiroda Kft., András Ament – AA4 Mérnökiroda Kft., Márta Hatolkay, Gábor Romits – RHK Kft.
Framework: Balázs Takács, Tamás Szutor – FRT Raszter Kft.
HVAC: Károly Pavlics – PPR Plan Kft.
Electrical engineerig: László Kósa, Norbert Ulrich; Ferenc Rajkai, Viktor Szalai – Hungaroproject Mérnökiroda Kft., Károly Borsányi; László Harmath – IQ Kft., Mátyás Bogárdi – All light Kft.
Public utilities: Géza Hobl – KÖZMŰTERV 2006 Kft., Zsolt Hanczár – KÉSZ Kft., Attila Molnár, Gábor Suba – TETRA COM Kft., Zoltán Antal – Vialux Kft.
Traffic: Gellért Bagi – CIVIL-PLAN Kft.
Environment: Nóra Kaposi, Tamás Sándor, István Varga – S-Tér Kft.
Fire protection: Sándor† Venczel – Tűz-Ért-Ő Bt.
Market and kitchen technology: Gizella Kuruczné Szabolcs – Design Stúdió Kft.
Acoustics, audiovisual system: András Kotschy – Kotschy és társai Kft.
Scene technology: Lőrinc† Strack – Kotschy és társai Kft.
Water mechanics: Sándor Szűcs, András Zöllei – Ganz Hydro Kft.
Light technology: András Miklós Balogh, Gábor Baktai, Ferenc Haász – madebylight
Image design, marketing: Grafcom Media Kft.
Client: UV Újpesti Vagyonkezelő Zrt.
Project management: Gábor Péhl, Zsuzsa Hidas, Tamás Járosi – Újpesti Piac és Vásárcsarnok Kft.
Main contractors: Hídépítő-Soletanche Bachy Mélyalapozó Kft., Kalotherm Építőipari Zrt., Thermowatt Energetikai és Építőipari Kft., B Build & Trade Kft.