Architecture firm Grimshaw wins competition for ‘crown jewel’ of Budapest railway node

Image: Grimshaw

International architecture practice Grimshaw has won the design competition for the renewal of the Nyugati train station in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

The firm came out on top in a competition between 12 shortlisted firms all vying to revamp what Dávid Vitéz, CEO at the BFK Budapest Development Agency, on LinkedIn called “crown jewel of the Budapest railway node and the whole Hungarian railway network”.

Key to the new design is the protected, 14,000 square metre Eiffel Hall. This central area will become a pedestrian central hall, featuring cafés, a bookshop and a food hall. The tracks are underground, including those that will serve the future below-river railway tunnel under the Danube.

“Central to our design concept is guardianship of heritage, adaptive reuse and humanising of the passenger journey. The approach developed through a collaboration of our London and Sydney studios and with local and international consultants, is one which protects and preserves the heritage of Nyugati Station and places its 21st century life firmly in the aesthetic of a civic space”, Grimshaw partner Mark Middleton said of the firm’s plans.

Much is afoot in the Hungarian capital when it comes to rail. The Hungarian government earlier this year signed off on the so-called Budapest Suburban Railway Node Strategy, which is designed to increase the number of passengers using railways in and around Budapest by 80 percent over de coming three decades. The new railway tunnel is a key component of those plans.

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Author: Nick Augusteijn

Former Chief Editor of RailTech.com

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Architecture firm Grimshaw wins competition for ‘crown jewel’ of Budapest railway node | RailTech.com

Architecture firm Grimshaw wins competition for ‘crown jewel’ of Budapest railway node

Image: Grimshaw

International architecture practice Grimshaw has won the design competition for the renewal of the Nyugati train station in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

The firm came out on top in a competition between 12 shortlisted firms all vying to revamp what Dávid Vitéz, CEO at the BFK Budapest Development Agency, on LinkedIn called “crown jewel of the Budapest railway node and the whole Hungarian railway network”.

Key to the new design is the protected, 14,000 square metre Eiffel Hall. This central area will become a pedestrian central hall, featuring cafés, a bookshop and a food hall. The tracks are underground, including those that will serve the future below-river railway tunnel under the Danube.

“Central to our design concept is guardianship of heritage, adaptive reuse and humanising of the passenger journey. The approach developed through a collaboration of our London and Sydney studios and with local and international consultants, is one which protects and preserves the heritage of Nyugati Station and places its 21st century life firmly in the aesthetic of a civic space”, Grimshaw partner Mark Middleton said of the firm’s plans.

Much is afoot in the Hungarian capital when it comes to rail. The Hungarian government earlier this year signed off on the so-called Budapest Suburban Railway Node Strategy, which is designed to increase the number of passengers using railways in and around Budapest by 80 percent over de coming three decades. The new railway tunnel is a key component of those plans.

Further reading: 

Author: Nick Augusteijn

Former Chief Editor of RailTech.com

Add your comment

characters remaining.

Log in through one of the following social media partners to comment.