Renewal of Nyugati railway station and its surroundings in Budapest (HU)

The new station hall, which forms the central element of the submission, engages in a sensitive dialogue with its surroundings: its grid, perpendicular to the historic track hall, its clearly separated mass, and its roof of similar height emphasise its independence, while its use of colour and materials, the angle of the roof pitch, and the positioning of its lighting fixtures also evoke it at the same time. The scale and proportions of the hall, which is designed to cover the remaining tracks of the terminal railway station, convey a sense of calm and rationality that transcends passing fads. It covers the space with structurally well-thought-out solutions, with an optimum use of materials, while showing the intention of protecting the busiest parts of the platform from the weather. The overall conceptual approach foresees fast, accurate, and efficient construction; the design of the steel pillars allows on-site assembly. Its weakness is the façade design: the curtain walls providing protection against the weather are only symbolically visible in the plan, and the space wall towards the Nyugati Square and an adequately emphasized main entrance are sorely lacking. 

This may be the result of a conscious design decision, as the design clearly takes a position in favour of the railway function of the Eiffel Hall, treating and shaping the central element of the triple spatial system of the Nyugati Square as an actual “station foreground”. At the same time, the functions of the hall space and the side wings are somewhat schematic, and the otherwise well-structured pedestrian routes between the main entrance and the underground platforms below the hall space are longer than optimal. The creation of a cross-corridor by arching two side wings to complement the narrow sidewalks of the Teréz Ring Road is a unique idea is – but the solution is of concern from a heritage perspective. 

The use of materials on the underpass and underground level reflects the spirit of classic modern transport architecture. The design of the underground spaces is exemplary: it has a sufficiently airy and spacious feel, with a believable flow of natural light and air; the revealed spatial system is clear and pleasing to the eye from all angles. The “moat” delimiting the surface station area provides a visual link between the underpass level and the surface, revealing the northern end façade of the monument building and opening a stair space to Podmaniczky Street. Passenger service facilities, shops, and rentals are optimally placed at the focal point of passenger flows, but their floor area is slightly undersized. The waiting room is located too far from the tracks. The construction of the connecting branch of the Nyugati Square underpass system is a significant shortcoming, as the M3 metro does not provide an obstacle-free approach to the station in this way.

One of the main virtues of the submission is the creation of transparent, open, permeable, human-scale spaces that provide complex connections through logical lines. A key element of this is the cross axis between the Váci Boulevard and Podmaniczky Street, which functions as a fully public street (although, contrary to the Competition brief, an uncovered one). A unique and promising solution is the pedestrian bridge over the tracks, which, in addition to the access to the surface platforms, also connects the linear park along Podmaniczky Street and the central hall of the Westend shopping centre. This submission is also unique in proposing an elevated pedestrian promenade from the congress centre behind the Westend to the Nyugati Square, which will organically connect the different areas of the site and integrate at the same time with the green ecological corridor. 

The plan complies with the basic conditions set out in the Competition brief from a railway point of view; the design of the surface and deep-level stations is appropriate. It preserves the switch-tower and rebuilds it on the Podmaniczky Street side. The station’s railway operation facilities, the loading and unloading route, and the underground car park are located in a sensible and well-organised manner at the rear of the underpass level underground station box, close to the Ferdinand axis. However, it is not beneficial that some of the rooms would be located in the basement of the Eiffel Hall, which is not only disadvantageous from a railway operation point of view, but also hinders the surface connection of the deep-station level. 

The submission is almost the only one to propose the retention and widening of the Ferdinánd Bridge; however, this could only be achieved to this extent with a complete replacement of the superstructure and new substructures. The choice of the Podmaniczky Street junction location is unfavourable.

The design of the Nyugati Square is very sketchy, bleak, and representative design is undermined. The linear park operates with well-organised, meaningful green spaces, most of which face the Podmaniczky Street. This puts the green area at a disadvantage in terms of use and prevents it from acting as a transition zone between the railway and the areas to be built up. The southern part of the park is functionally poor for its size. The plan creates green spaces of appropriate size and ecological richness. 

The building concept responds nicely to the surrounding street grid but is somewhat schematic in the private development area. It correctly identifies the most appropriate location for the convention centre on the north side of the Ferdinánd axis. The green pedestrian cross axis between the Kodály Circus and the Lehel Square church is designated in the plan, but it is narrow and rather uncertain at the Lehel Square end. On the Podmaniczky Street side, the placement of the buildings is unfavourable: the engine shed is placed in an overbuilt corridor; the three lane buildings on the street are rather haphazard; the plan proposes possible residential buildings further out, in the immediate vicinity of the tracks; the low-intensity residential building type is questionable here; and the northern section of the linear park is narrowed and simplified into a cycle path. The connection of districts is provided at key structural points. It is unfortunate and even impossible, due to the elevation of the railway tunnel ramp, to keep the underpass in the Bulcsú Street axis; however, the proposed cycle bridge along Munkácsy Street gets into a favourable position. 

The Evaluation Committee, having regard to the exemplary solution of the railway station, has recommended the submission for the 1st prize.