Kincsem housing development

Budapest and its metropolitan area are continuously growing, with most new housing taking the form of single-family homes, leading to significant green space loss despite available brownfield sites. Increasing urban density could help reduce environmental impact and commuting.

In Hungary, homeownership dominates the housing market, with rising demand and limited construction capacity driving prices above inflation. While Western Europe focuses on long-term operation in rental housing, affordability prevails in Hungary, supporting the use of industrialized construction methods.

One of the main challenges of affordable housing construction is that rising property prices and increasing financing costs have made homeownership difficult for the lower middle class, even with state subsidies. The aim of the Kincsem development is therefore to create housing priced below 1 million HUF/m², made possible through modern prefabrication technologies, standardization, and fast construction, reducing both building and maintenance costs.

The project thus offers not only more accessible and value-retaining homes, but also integrates well into a compact urban environment and the existing transport infrastructure.

The development in Budapest’s 10th district, in the area of Gyógyszergyári Street and Fehér Road, is being implemented in multiple phases, creating a complex mix of residential, commercial, and service functions, complemented by significant transport and utility infrastructure improvements.

The site is divided into several plots: along Fehér Road, mixed-use buildings (offices and retail) are planned; a separate plot accommodates a community facility; while within the KINCSEM development, multiple residential buildings will be constructed, with a total of up to 1,400 apartments.

The project is based on urban planning agreements and amendments to the regulatory plan, alongside the development of infrastructure and accessibility for the previously undeveloped area.

To achieve the target price of 950,000 HUF/m², walls, bathrooms, and slabs are all constructed using prefabrication technology. A limited number of standardized window types are used. Above the ground floor, each level follows an identical floor plan in the spirit of rational design.

The central corridor layout of the apartments is not only cost-efficient in terms of construction, but also provides easy access to service shafts, which reduces long-term maintenance costs.

Across all five plots, the residential buildings are developed according to a unified concept: two L-shaped volumes—one with a ground floor + 7 storeys + setback and the other with a ground floor + 5 storeys + setback—are oriented towards each other. The buildings are connected below ground by a basement level containing parking and service functions, and they are also partially linked at ground level via a canopy structure.

Site access is provided from a service road running parallel to Gyógyszergyári Street, from which the underground garages are reached via ramps. Along the street frontage, a significant area is designed as publicly accessible open space.

The architectural character is primarily defined by a high degree of prefabrication. Most façades feature continuous balcony lines, while the restrained overall appearance is articulated through the varied composition of balustrades and vertical shading screens. At the gable ends, the balcony lines are interrupted; these sections are clad in coloured finishes, while the smaller volume features exposed grey concrete, in front of which perforated steel cladding with building-specific patterns is applied.

The patterns vary from organic vine-like motifs to geometrically structured triangular compositions and more randomly arranged perforations, creating a refined and diverse architectural expression.

In terms of design articulation, the seven-storey volume features coloured façade surfaces with grey balconies, railings, and shading elements, while the five-storey volume is finished with white plaster façades and coloured shading elements on the outer balcony planes, with each of the five buildings featuring a different colour scheme. This approach creates a well-balanced and varied streetscape, and the five-building layout forms human-scaled public spaces between the blocks.

Ground-floor façade surfaces are made of exposed grey concrete.