The proposal from the association of Japanese and Hungarian architects was highly appreciated by the jury, primarily for respect for the environment. The facade of the eight-story building, four hundred meters long, will be almost completely covered with vines, its roof and eleven courtyards will also be occupied with green spaces. Geothermal energy will be used to heat and cool the building.
The idea of creating a new government building in Budapest, which could house all eleven Hungarian ministries (5,500 officials), appeared back in 1999, but the decision to hold a competition was made only last year. In the meantime, government offices are located in buildings scattered throughout the city, which creates all sorts of inconveniences.
The site for the construction will be the vicinity of the West Station of Budapest, the project of which was developed in 1877 in the workshop of Gustav Eiffel. There, in ten years, a mixed development area with a total area of 40 hectares will appear around the government building. The very same ministerial complex will be built by 2009.
