OTP Headquarters, Budapest

Architects: László Földes, János Mónus, László Tóth
Text: Anett Mizsei
Photos: Bálint Jaksa

The 21st century has already brought many unexpected changes to human life. Flexibility has become one of the key factors for the success of individuals and communities of various sizes. Designed by László Földes, János Mónus and László Tóth, this office building is able to meet these dynamically changing expectations and serve as a stable basis for the 3,000 or so employees who work here. As it is part of a mass of buildings connected to its two neighbours but opening out at certain points onto the streets surrounding the block, permeability was an important consideration. The building is organized around six spacious courtyards, each with a different character as a result of the landscape architectural concept. Between them, two covered courtyards were created. One of them accommodates a large office, which required a larger contiguous area and width larger than the building wings allowed. The other is a lobby, the primary representative reception area of the headquarters, where a dense indoor green space with a variety of tropical species, reminiscent of a botanical garden greenhouse, has been created. Architecture, interior design and landscape architecture form a single continuous fabric across the building, with interior and exterior green spaces in multiple layers and levels. A built landscape planted with organic forms and a varied, multi-level plant stand flows throughout the block interior, forming a continuous basic layer. The inner courtyards open into each other through passages of several storeys in height. The volume of the “gateways” opens up on several levels, with trees growing in the cut-out “negative spaces” at various points in the building. The roofs of the lower wings also host gardens. It is as if the building has just lifted a piece of landscape up in the air: a full-fledged series of gardens, with shrubs, small trees, a variety of blossoming and evergreen plants. This urban landscape character can be felt throughout the interior spaces of the building.

General planning: ÖKO-BAU Ltd.
Leading architects: László Tóth – ÖKO-BAU Ltd., László Földes – Földes and Partners, János Mónus – Mónus Architects
Architects: Ágota Antal, Bernadett Béni, Barnabás Cseszlai, Barbara Erőss, Nóra Kőhalmy, Anna Lukács, Gábor Nagy, Máté Novák, Olivér Orning, Alma Tóth– Földes and Partners; Ilona Aczél Szabó, Sándor Gombár, István Tamási, Zsolt Tehenics – ÖKO-BAU Ltd.
Fellow architects: Virág Máthé, Zsombor Szentmihályi
Interiors (communal spaces, offices): Krisztina Sárosdi Mádi, János Szlovák, Virág Máthé– Mádi Lánczos Studio
Fellow interior designers: Sára Matheidesz, Erzsébet Zimmerer, Márton Varga, András Jakó, Inez Petrényi, Réka Vaszkó, Edmond Kovács, Andrea Kovács, Bence Gulyás
Graphic design: Karina Kuritár, Toma Bóna
Interiors (communal spaces): Kinga Kismarty-Lechner – Milliméter Műterem
Fellow designers: Kitti Fényes, Petra Haraszti, Dániel Hartvig, Erika Ignácz, Nóra Kőhalmy, Lukács Polgár, Eszter Virághalmy
Landscape: Gergely Lád, Borbála Gyüre – Geum Ltd.
Electrical engineering: Judit Balázs – Artvill Ltd.
Automatics: Mihály Labádi – Gaut Ltd.
HVAC: József Kiss, Zoltán Sor– PhQ Engineering
Structures: Róbert Gecsényi – Dinám Engineering
Soil mechanics: László Radványi – Radványi Engineering
Framework: Richárd Reisch – FRT Raszter Ltd., Zoltán Páricsy, Teréz Zwickl, Győző Wittinger – Páricsy and Partners
Fire protection: Zsolt Fenyvesi– F.S.Z. Engineering
Roads, traffic: Balázs Sipos – Közlekedés Fővárosi Tervező Iroda Ltd.
Acoustics: Róbert Csott – ’95. Apszis Ltd.
Kitchen technology: Katalin Harangi – Artakim Ltd.
Sprinkler: András Csordás – Nimbus-Plan Ltd.
Outdoor public utilities: János Grőb – Pest-Terv Ltd.