Basic thoughts:

Many thanks for the possibility to present the basic topics, the basic thoughts about the Office Park Örmezö. This presentation is a good opportunity for me to show you our first design ideas.

What we are doing is not a competition in a traditional way, it is more developing while discussing. In this way it is very important to find a joint direction between the investors and the architects for a strong and well identified office campus and as well a landmark for Budapest.

1. One of our interests is to make a new kind of campus, not in the traditional manner like it is common at the high school buildings or in several office parks. Important is that we have useable greens at the ground floor which are connected to the green fields in the neighbourhood. Especially for the immediate neighbours we create special park situations which can be seen as an extension of their greens.

But if you think seriously about the campus in this office building with a density of 5.0, it is obvious that we have to create a new kind of campus with green areas not only on the ground. We need green areas on different levels. These spaces create a new and enjoyable atmosphere. Together with module systems we can create very flexible buildings which create an open space. If you have an office maybe on the 13th floor it is really more comfortable to have a green area on the same level or two levels under your office than to go to the ground to spend your lunch time in the campus green.

At the end of our building process we create more green areas then we had at the beginning. This is a good offer and argument for the green party and the politicians to help us to realize the Office Park Örmezö and it’s an added value for all people who will live and work in the Office Park.

2. When we create the west gate on this site we should think about the links with the city. One of these important links is the connection to the other district of the city - opposite the railway tracks. Another one is maybe the new extension of the city which can be generated by the new metro. Another important link is the city center. The better we link the west gate to the rest of the city the higher the value and the acceptance of the new investment will be.

3. For the fact that the area will be developped in 4-6 phases it is essential that we can realise the retail area for daily shopping in that way that there is no interference from the construction area at the site. The 4-6 phases will last up to 10 years. We propose that we install the mall in the level „minus 1“ covered with glass roof and pavillions and so on. The benefit is the perfect connection to the metro, the bus station and the parking area; and we can realize a perfect delivery situation during all the construction time.

4. The west gate as a landmark, as a sign for the new Budapest, will be the first impression for drivers coming from the highway M1 and M7 but also coming by train. This is the reason why the two higher buildings are situated along the connection line. So they build a big gate for the incoming drivers and visitors. And from the eastern part of the city they are very elegant and small skyscrapers which show also the gesture and idea of a gate. The idea is to show the gate not only from one point of view but also from the other site - in a different design.

After the last event on the site where the chief architect spoke about the big chance to create a landmark we should accept the challenge and discuss to which height we will go. In the model we show 120m but maybe we should go to 150m.

For economic reasons we have to build with a density of 5.0 which means that we have to build 2 high raisers with more than 100 meters and several buildings with nearly 10 levels.

At the beginning of my presentation I spoke about the campus and you can believe that a park between buildings with 10-12 levels is not comfortable to use and you can see empty public places all over the world because of that reason.

In our historical cities we have a building height of about 20 meters. That was the fact why we create a module system were we can ease the building mass and create views and open situations which correspond to the human size and make the use of the green areas enjoyable.

Resume: Topic 1: we create a new campus with usable green areas on different levels and not only on the ground. Topic 2: the West Gate is a landmark, a city sign designed for this special place of Budapest. Topic 3: we create a flexible modul system instead of a traditional building – so we can react at every time of the changing needs and conditions.