The Mosoni-Danube estuary water facility was built at the eastern end of Szigetköz in Hungary, in the area of Vének, at the mouth of the Mosoni-Danube, at the middle of the waterway connecting the North and Black Seas, in the 1794 km section of the Danube
Originally the flood gate was envisaged as a strictly engineering facility on Torda Island opposite the Gönyű fluvial harbour, at the confluence of the Mosoni-Danube and the Danube. The basic goal was to restore the internal water level and navigability of city of Győr - the city of waters - and to improve the image of the city. When the implementation was finally given the green light after several decades of parking, the general designer allowed the architectural and landscape design of the facility to be redesigned.
Thanks to this cooperation, in the end, not only the Control building serving the flood gate and ship lock, but also the bridge crossing the dam and the reinforced concrete structure itself could become an architecturally well-thought-out unit.
The construction of the dam, accompanied by significant landscape transforming, has thus become an infrastructural facility integrated into the landscape, and the Control Building a focal point of facility control, education and visitor center.
The new flood protection embankments and operational bridge are connected to the old flood protection works, so the facility itself is traversable. Its parts are the dike, ship lock, the fish ladder, operational bridge and the Control Building, which includes the systems serving and controlling the entire facility.
It is important to mention that the project reflects on 'water conservation' the idea, which has been the ecologically star theme of recent drought years. In the midst of increasingly hectic climatic conditions, the value of water reserves is increasing, therefore the role of the facility goes far beyond the narrow technical tasks, it has a long-term impact on the way of life, tourism, and landscape use of the area. Last but not least, the people of the area, those practicing river navigation and water sports, and cyclists can travel through it, the value of the attraction is also significant.
The facility is an architecturally and landscape-architecturally designed environment in all elements of the seawalls from -1.00 m in addition to taking into account engineering aspects.
The Control building is a multifunctional monitoring unit, it performs a triple role, all three roles serve water treatment and flood protection. The ground floor of the building consists of a more open reception area facing east and a more closed service unit. The reception area is a meeting point, from the outside to the inside through a patio covered with a canopy, we get to the closed reception area, which is glazed all around. On the east side, the patio is bordered by an exposed concrete wall with holes. Through the multi-directional holes, a detail of the garden is always revealed. From the reception area, we reach the control wing on the upper floor on one side, and the electrical and hydraulic control equipment, machinery, social block necessary for flood protection, and car storage located in a more closed area on the other side.
On the upper level, there are the service rooms used for flood protection and the control building with a floor-to-ceiling glazed cantilever. The cantilevered part contains the control room and the associated meeting room, which gives the opportunity to view the ship lock from above, while revealing a panorama of the area's natural values in the reflection of the river. From the control room they control the lock gates and segment boards.
A roof terrace was built on top of the ground floor entrance.
The intertwining flow of the interior spaces is also reflected in the building's façade design. The movement, the constant change, is characteristic of the river flowing through the facility. The shape of the building was inspired by the swirling water and the dynamics of the surrounding aquatic world.
The project's heat and electricity supply is controlled by environmentally conscious technologies. When the seawall is filled, thanks to the soil collectors placed in the soil layers and the photovoltaic system, the building is energetically self-sustaining, and the stored rainwater is used to maintain the roof garden.
Team:
Client: Northern Transdanubian Water Directorate
Architecture: TÉRHÁLÓZAT (térhálózat design ltd.)
Architect in charge: Attila Korompay
Architects: Attila Korompay, Evelin Ördög
Structural engineer: AGD Kft.
HVAC: Kristályklíma Plusz Ltd; GeoConcept Ltd.
Electrical engineer: NRGSERVICES Ltd.
Lighting consultant: Withlight
Landscape design: VK Studio Ltd.
Visualisation: Homologue
Builder: Mészáros és Tsa. Kft.
Photographer: Sugar and Salt Ltd., Northern Transdanubian Water Directorate
Materials Used:
Geothermal systeme: GeoConcept Kft.
Curtain walls: Schüco International KG.
Wood works: Pavlicsek és Tsa.
