Skala Metro Redevelopment

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Skála Metro Redevelopment

Complete Remodelling of a 1980s commercial building

Design Competition, Budapest, 2008

Skála is an early 1980s commercial building in theheart of Budapest, opposite to the Western Railway station designed byGustav Eiffel. Even though it is situated in the city centre and hasexceptional transport links, thanks to the lack of well defined urban spaces ithas lost its importance, and in the past decades the building itself as well asits surroundings became a slum representing poverty and homelessness.

Released in 2008 the aim of this selected competitionwas to explore the possibilities in which this scheme as an urban ensemble maybe revitalized. The key aspiration was to upgrade the building itself so thatit meets today’s complex requirements and also to find the appropriate way ofdealing with the environment, to restore its importance as a meeting point andas a widely used urban space, taking advantage of the excellent location andinfrastructure.

Our design proposal was based on a deep research inurban environments and liveable contemporary schemes, involving studied in thefield of environmental psychology. We proposed an open, “defensible” space, awell lit underground level which eases way finding, and has intensive connectionwith the building, so that the two as an ensemble would reform the picture ofthe area both emotionally and visually. As part of this exercise it was also akey aspiration to upgrade and reshape the existing building envelope, torestore its importance as a reference point by having a fresh, uniqueappearance, wealthy for the urban situation.