Reconstruction of KIM Headquarters, Kossuth Square

Architects: Béla Bánáti
Text: Pál Ritoók
Photos: Zoltán Vass, Tamás Bujnovszky

The tenement palace once owned by Alfréd Wellisch in today’s Kossuth Square (formerly the Parliament Square) has been used as a public building for a long time now. At present it is part of the complex housing the Hungarian Ministry of Administration and Justice. Its exterior today significantly differs from its original conditions following the construction. The most striking difference is the former roofing with its extreme height climaxing in the centre. It was actually so high that it even competed with that of the assembly hall in the nearby Parliament building. After World War II this roofing was removed along with certain damaged parts of the roof structure and the cupolas crowning the spires, The fourth storey of the tenement palace of Alfréd Wellisch once standing in the Parliament Square had been used as the architects’ office of the owner here up until 1948, when it was taken over by the state. Plans and designs of several industrial and public buildings, tenement houses and mansions were drawn in these rooms.

Client: Országgyűlés Hivatala, Steindl Imre Programiroda
General design: Bánáti+Hartvig Építész Iroda Kft.
Leading architect: Béla Bánáti
Architects: Péter Éles, Ágnes Székely, Marcell Balázs, Gabriella Hoffman, Szabolcs Lénárt, Csaba Czégeni, Zoltán Vass, Orsolya Nagy
Structure: Csaba Kovács – Reticolo Kft., Karkiss Balázs, Gál István – KÉSZ Zrt.
HVAC: Zoltán Sor – PHQ Kft.
Electrical engineering: Gábor Nagy – Yurosignal Kft.
Monument preservation expert: Ferenc Bor – H-Y Építéstörténeti és Műemléki Kft.
Main contractor: KÉSZ Holding Zrt.