Kodály Palace, Budapest

Architect: Ferenc Nedár
Text: Tamás Ulrich
Photos: Attila Gulyás

One of the most historic buildings of Kodály Circus, the Royal Hungarian State Railways Pension Institute was completed in 1883 and was owned by the company that constructed it until 1949, when it was nationalised. In the summer of 2014, the wooden roof structure, which was then more than 100 years old and had no internal firewalls, the wooden beamed attic with its wooden roof with dowelled timber beams and most of the third floor burnt down in just a few hours. The complete reconstruction, which started in 2019 and will be completed in 2023, has renewed Kodály Palace in all its former splendour and glory. The reconstruction has included a remarkable renovation of the entire façade, as well as the interior common spaces and gardens. On the dilapidated third floor, a total of 19 apartments were restored in the style of the old civic apartments. In the attic, 25 duplex apartments were furnished on two levels, each with a roof terrace invisible from the outside. All this is out of sight from the street, and only the facades of the palace are visible. It is invisible architecture being born here, one might say.

Investor: Mamedov Nizami – Körönd Koncepció Ltd.
Architecture: PhoenArchitekt Ltd.
Lead architects: Ferenc Nedár, Róbert Kun
Architect: Gergely Virág
Monument history expert: Attila Déry
Interiors, common spaces, gardens: Zoltán Varró – Varrodesign
Structure: Gábor Kászonyi – Omniber
Main contractor: Dakota Építő