Infopoint

Back in the old days District 17 on the outskirts of Budapest used to be a loose community of three small villages. In the Communist era they were forcefully fused into one unit and attached to the capital. At the same time, their original urban fabric was deliberately altered by the erection of high-rise concrete apartment blocks. By the end of the first decade of the 21st century this part of the capital, Rákosmente, as it is now called, was in bad need of a new urban centre. This is the main function of Főtér, the “Main Square”, which was created on the site of a former bus terminal and busy traffic junction. Infopoint – designed by T2a Architects – is one of the major, spectacular features of the Main Square. During the design phase, one of our primary objectives was to strengthen and lend even more content to the community functions of the square. We wanted to create a meeting place that could serve as the very hub, the driving force of the community life of the area. We designed a building whose open structure offers comfort and ease of use and blends organically into the landscaping philosophy applied to the renewal project of Főtér. A key challenge was to define the architectural relationship to the overwhelming presence of the existing high-rise concrete apartment blocks. This is the concept behind the extensive “cloud” of the sweeping canopy hovering above the Main Square, and providing shelter from the scorching summer sun and the pounding rain. We recreated the “agora” function in an organic way that is well adapted to the needs of everyday life: the Infopoint also features as a café and a public toilet. The depressed basin around the building acts as a protected but open public are that forms a pleasing transition between the closed masses of the built structure and the open space.