Gothic Call
Function
Public Building & Park
Location
Bidapest I.
Holy Trinity Square
Year
2022
Design Team
Péter Jánossy & Gábor Tiderenczl
Net floor area
4283 m2
Functional units
Budapest Info, Catering, Museum...
Status
Evaluated Application
What kind of architecture would be appropriate in the immediate vicinity of the Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion in the Castle District of Budapest, for the development of our sacred main square, or to replace its missing space wall? We searched for the answer to this question with my colleague Péter Jánossy in connection with a national architectural, landscape and garden design competition, announced by the Budapest Municipality for the green space development of Holy Trinity Square in March 2022.
At the request of my colleague, as the missing space wall of the square, we envisioned a contemporary version of the well-known building designed by his father, György Jánossy, which was recently undeservedly demolished from the side of Holy Trinity square opposite the church.
In contrast to the other proposals, we did not just plan a green area or symbolic buildings for the area, but a public building matching the scale and character of the surrounding buildings, a real space wall and a real green area in front of it. We also proposed an alternative way for tourists to get up to the castle and to go down to the castle cellars.
According to the proposal, a moving walkway in a tunnel from the buses parked on Hunyadi út, and then a high-speed elevator would bring tourists up to the Budapest Point (Tourist Information and Visitor Center) located on the ground floor of the planned building. This would be connected to the restaurants, bars and gift shop on the ground floor and the terraces. On the upper floors we created place for the thematic historical exhibitions related to the buildings of the castle and the square, educational rooms, medical care, and on the back of the building we planned a conservatory covering all levels, with a viewing platform on the glass roof, due to the aspects of monument protection, hidden behind the roof.
In our plan we connected the main entrance of the building to the famous Mary's Gate of the Matthias Church by a walkway with a bower and cascade, and we envisioned it as a reconstruction of the original medieval Mary's Gate, which would also introduce a thematic exhibition related to the church. According to our idea, above the park related to its name, the symbol of the Holy Trinity would appear as a laser light with regular triangle form in the evening, which would connect the glass tower of the building (providing place also for a light-show), and the two music pavilions in the garden, which are also made of glass.
The planned garden is a geometric ornamental garden - similar to the old monastery gardens - with trees and shrubs, walkways, benches, statues, grass surfaces, and colorful flower beds, and the arbor with the cascade. The paved area next to the building is a place for outdoor terraces and barbecues, but it is also suitable for outdoor exhibitions. On the slope facing the Danube, we proposed the creation of an open-air stage similar to a Greek theater.
