Atrinova Office Building, Budapest

Architects: Zsolt Zsuffa, László Kalmár, Péter Kronavetter
Text: Tamás Kiss
Photos: Zsolt Hlinka

Located within the historic urban fabric of Budapest, the “office corridor” along Váci Road right after Nyugati Square requires a very different approach to the image of the former rust belt that stretches from Újpest to Angyalföld. This reinterpretation is far more sensitive to the urban landscape defined by the buildings inherited from the 19th century than even the 1990s developments. A fine example of this is the recently converted Atrinova office building on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street. As part of the comprehensive renovation project, the 7th floor common spaces were renovated in 2017, the elevator lobbies in 2019 and – perhaps the most spectacular part of the whole project – the lobby and facade in 2021/22 after plans by Zsuffa and Kalmár architects’ office. Redesigning the building was a challenge for the architects in many ways. Built in 1998, the bank and office building’s façade and interiors that communicate with postmodern gestures were significantly outdated, both aesthetically and technically. A timely architectural intervention required due sensitivity to the building’s predominantly historicist urban context in the vicinity of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The design was guided by the principle of historical continuity: the new building elements form a new layer and respectfully seek to refer to the architectural antecedents of the house and the three eclectic-style residential buildings that were demolished on the same site. The building, which was still in use during the renovation, has left its mask of effervescent technicism behind and taken on the image of a clean, modern architecture.

General planning: Zsuffa és Kalmár Architects
Architecture, interiors: László Kalmár, Péter Kronavetter, Zsolt Zsuffa
Fellow architects: Marcell Balázs, Zita Pelle, Réka, Olivia Villányi – Studio BMPZ
Buffet interior: László Kalmár, Péter Kronavetter, Zsolt Zsuffa, Glória Papp
Framework: Levente Pécsi, Viktor Esztergályos
Structure: Csaba Jámbrik
HVAC: Tamás Fejes
Electrical engineering: Dávid Sándor
Fire protection: György Decsi
Accessibility: Anna Kormányos
Main contractor: Újlaki Ltd.