Architects: Finta es Tarsai Epitesch Studio / Finta & Co., Budapest.
West End City Center is one of the largest construction projects in Hungary. About 190,000 m2 of floor space were built in a short time. Architects were attracted not by the size, but by the urban impact of the project.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the territory on which the new West End City Center is located belonged to the outskirts of Budapest. Today, the triangular section, thanks to the dynamic expansion of the Hungarian capital, is included in the central districts of the city. On the one hand, it is limited by the railway leading to the Western Railway Station, on the other hand, by Vachi Street, the most important transport artery on the Pest side. This situation plays an important role, since the shopping complex is designed to "build bridges" between the city's districts divided by rails. According to the concept, the building itself should serve as a kind of "street". From the outside, it is an organic part of Vachi Street, and inside it is a wide, blocked pedestrian zone.
18,000 m2 of roof gardens and promenades divide the building, creating connections with the outside world. 1,700 parking spaces, including half above the railway tunnel. When designing a huge shopping complex, consisting of three parts - a shopping center, a hotel and an office building, the architects did not focus on American models. After all, at the beginning of 1900 there was already a shopping arcade in Budapest - "Parisian Courtyard". The West End City shopping center was supposed to become a European building, exemplarily fitting, due to its integrated functionality, to the overall city view and standing at the highest level in the use of material. Surrounding the West End City Center is a station building with a remarkable facade of iron, glass and brick, built by the Eiffel, located opposite the old customs house, part of the facade of which is also made of facing bricks.
The logical conclusion from all this was the choice for a new center of the clinker façade, which completely matched the ideas of the building permitting authorities and the chief architect of the city. The complex of buildings in its design, structures, space development and façade decoration is deliberately focused on the present day.
The most modern building and construction technologies and materials were used, but in such a way that the "station past" of the area and the Eiffel hall of the West Station were not forgotten. That is why brick was used as a building material. Working with bricks, the architect was able to optically highlight the different functions of the building with subtle details. For example, the hotel façade was made of solid red clinker, while motley clinker was chosen for the façades of the shopping center and office building to liven up the play of color. As a special decorative element, leading us to the brick buildings of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco style of the monarchy, the facades were interrupted by brown and blue inserts. They are pressed into the facade a few centimeters and make it visually very lively.
The total area of the external facades is 20,000 m2… But the clinker continues in the interior. Here, shop and boutique owners, regardless of architects and investors, took advantage of the pleasant exterior façade and applied it to their stores. It is not only the commercial success of the center, which has been very well received by the citizens of Budapest, that the architects' concept has proven its worth. Experts also praise its design and urbanism. The center has received several architectural awards in Hungary and abroad, including the International Real Estate Design Competition.
Not far from the West End City Center, in the city center, near the West Station, a new Hilton Budapest WestEnd 4 * has been built, also using several colors of clinker bricks.
The use of clinker materials in projects determines the durability and status of any object.
Brick collections with color schemes for the project: Bockhorner facing bricks.
Text and photos are provided by Kirill.
