
Reconstruction facade, Budapest, Akadémia street 15-17
Completed
2020
An international hotel management company established a 110-room, five-star hotel in the heart of Budapest, in two adjacent corner buildings built in the 19th century. Under local zoning regulations, planes of the original roof must be preserved. We have opted for a historically faithful restoration of facades despite the fact that none of these buildings are actually landmark-protected. Originally used as the Embassy of Austria, the corner building located at Akadémia utca 17 received a small extension and a full restoration of its ornate triple gate, thereby regaining its Empire splendor. The other building, situated at the corner of Akadémia utca and Steindl Imre utca, was initially built as a condominium, and now fits seamlessly into its surroundings thanks to a complete reconstruction and insulation of its facades. In both buildings, inner facades were restored largely based on original blueprints and given cutting-edge thermal insulation. I worked in this project alongside fellow architect Ádám Sylvester from 2008 through 2020.