Zugló City Centre in Budapest
Zaha Hadid Architects have masterplanned a dynamic mixed-use development for Budapest’s 14th district.
Named Zugló City Centre, it will sit on a site of nearly seven hectares between Bosnyák Square and Rákos Creek. New civic spaces will be surrounded by natural environments, homes, shops and offices, and developed in stages by Bayer Construct Group in Hungary.
This district is known as a large and mixed-use neighbourhood away from the city centre.
LAND Italia, the project’s landscape designers, say the plan, “looks at the surrounding ecosystems, integrating the future developments of the Zugló district and Budapest City to develop a strong bond with the renaturalisation of Rákos Creek; enhancing biodiversity and establishing a comprehensive natural ecosystem facilitating ecological connectivity with the broader landscapes.
The new district envisions a ‘green spine’ as the natural backbone of the development which provides a smooth transition from an urban plaza to a natural park, creating liveable spaces designed according to the users needs throughout the year with the intent of reconnecting people with nature.”
New civic spaces will be surrounded by natural environments, homes, shops and offices,
The green spine extends to Rákos Creek and its natural ecosystem, including 900 newly planted trees. It defines the central axis of the city centre design, and transforms from urban plazas and gardens into natural parkland as it reaches the creek.
Zugló City Centre will include nearly 35,000 square metres of communal green space, shade trees and ponds, and establish the third largest park in the district.
The orientation and composition of buildings naturally regulates the temperature within the area.
Pedestrian zones and new bike paths connect living, working and recreational spaces within walking distance, encouraging urban micro-mobility.
Zugló City Centre aims to reduce energy consumption and emissions. Insulating green roofs are included, as well as systems for the collection, storage and reuse of 90,000 cubic metres of rainwater each year.
The orientation and composition of buildings naturally regulate the temperature within the city centre, decreasing peak summer temperatures by up to six degrees celsius compared to the average temperature in downtown Budapest.
The new district envisions a ‘green spine’ as the natural backbone of the development.
A centralised plant will be controlled by smart systems and powered by renewables, reducing energy consumption.
“The project will create one of the greenest and most sustainable neighbourhoods on the Pest side of the capital,” says Zaha Hadid director, Gianluca Racana. “The new city centre, organically linked to the surrounding area and Rákos Creek, will equally offer residential, office, commercial and leisure services which will form a harmonious whole with the large green areas and community spaces that will be created. The complex development will also pay tribute to the architecture, culture and history of the beautiful capital, Budapest, while paving the way for the future with state-of-the-art solutions.”
Construction is due to begin soon, with completion scheduled for 2029.
Zugló City Centre aims to reduce energy consumption and emissions.