IC Hotel
The development realized on the southern side of Baross Square emerged through the reinterpretation of a long-neglected infill site. The project not only concluded the story of an unfinished investment, but also created a new urban quality as the result of international collaboration.
Background
The site addressed by the design is located on the southern side of Baross Square and has remained a vacant gap site for decades, bordered by continuously built-up adjacent buildings between Baross Square and Mosonyi Street. In 2007, the construction of an office building project began on the site; however, it was halted during the 2008 financial crisis due to the developer’s bankruptcy, and only the substructure works were completed (diaphragm walls, foundation slab, and a partially modified metro ventilation structure).
International developer
In 2015, the site was purchased by the German real estate developer B&L, and a truly international project was realized with a Budapest unit of the InterCity hotel chain. Numerous consultations had previously taken place with the municipality regarding the site’s development, and the arrival of the German developer was therefore welcomed.
Conception
The architecture was jointly defined by the Budapest-based FBS and the Hamburg-based PBP. PBP designed a single large courtyard, which provides the rooms with favorable natural lighting. The 312 standard hotel rooms are organized along a central corridor system with three circulation cores.
From the façade concepts, FBS’s distinctive metal relief design was realized within a classical façade system, thereby adding new layers of reflection to the historicizing context of Baross Square. On the ground floor, a representative lounge & bar and conference facilities were introduced, while the interior design was developed based on the concepts of Milan-based Matteo Thun.
