The Romai riverside is located in Budapest’s 3rd district, at the right side of the Danube.
The area was the center of Buda’s water-oriented life in the 1800’s with many boathouses at the bank. Besides this there were different kind of restaurants, way houses, markets and beaches found for the people who wanted to relax and escape.
But after the quality Danube’s water decreased the area began to be less and less used in the city’s life. The time of the 1900’s a big amortization could be seen on the local buildings. The floodplain’s field began to be built-in with subdivisions which led to a too narrow riverside walkway is girdled with ruined but still valuable buildings. Sadly this edge-role didn’t effect the transport well so the untended places and mess enlarged in the past years.
These are unfortunate facts because this section of the riverside has a lot of potentials. Let’s just think about the great nature abilities, the proximity of the water, that could mean an alternate transportation line. It can be seen that there’s demand for the area’s revitalization, re-organization and development, since there are many great firms that invest into the offices of the region like Graphisoft, Microsoft or IBS.
If these tendencies stay the area will be expanded with some of today’s intensifying streams as environmental thinking, globalization or technological development, we think that the Romai riverside can be even more glorious and living as ever. This place can be a center for many different acitivities and sectors and can provide a big prestige for the whole city.
When we designed our idea our first aim was to create a new local transport network . It would be tramway vehicle with many stations, besides the HÉV train of course. There’s an available pier that is floating on the water, which coule be used as a free transportation form for the pedestrians and cyclists. It’s also good for organizing a water-transport (on or under the water). From the pier it would be possible to cross the river on bridges from one side to another.
Our next aim was to define the proportion of the built-in and green areas. We think the proximity of the nature can play a bigger role in the future, even though it will be man-made. In our vision we were intend on undoing the built-in areas of the floodplain. This area would be dedicated to sport and cultural centers. Away from the riverside, in the zone of the startup offices the green would be dominant then as we reach the university campus it would be less. As we see the current cutaway view we can notice a gradient from the green’s majority to the young adults’ living fields. With the exception of the Obudai Island because the university teachers’s houses would stand there. We wanted to provide them a calmer and more green place.
We placed the parts of the university campus on the Romai riverside. The old Ganz factory was found fitting for the educational and research buildings and would be extended to the direction of the Pok street. The central building would be in the line of the Romai Camping. It would include hotels for the foreigners and other serving sections. This makes an axis between the university and the living areas. Near to the riverside are the offices then the relax- and entertainment-zone.
