BFarchitecture Takes Second Place in Liget Budapest Museum of Ethnography Competition

Written by Sadia Quddus
December 27, 2014

A few days ago, the winning design for the new Liget Budapest Museum of Ethnography was revealed. BFarchitecture, awarded second place, has just released their design proposal, which weaves the city and park of Városliget together by flowing the public along the Dózsa György út through the procession of the building.

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The project, beginning by the Museum of Fine Arts, carves out an urban platform which transforms into a series of terraces overlooking the park and city. This outdoor square is available for the public and is adaptable for performances and as a dynamic gathering space for the city's citizens, the art, and the park.

A large ramp originates at the busy entryway, then extends into a more intimate exhibition space, before guiding visitors into the workshops, shops and cafes, ethnological archives, library, and main exhibition halls. A lounge bar and outdoor terrace further serve to integrate the building into the outdoors. The outdoor staircase connects the museum-goers back to the park as well as the promenade. Situated along a boulevard on the border of the City Park, the building works to filter visitors throughout the city and urban park.

Electrical bike stations, covered bicycle parking, pedestrian pathways, and underground parking serve to link the various buildings of the complex together. Water reuse systems via a basement water basin and buffer under the pavement of the parking roof work to increase efficiency and reduce waste, and a natural detention pond becomes an aesthetic feature as well as an element of sustainability.

The rectilinear nature of the exhibition space on levels four and five are balanced by the curving quality of the surface below it. A simple box resting on an arched structure carves out space beneath the exhibitions and creates sheltered passage between each corner of the museum. Structural elements are minimal and efficient. A white facade "consists of a stick system triple glazed curtain wall from floor to ceiling" and is composed of motorized movable aluminum panels and adjustable elements. Highly insulated walls, optimized facade perforations, and passive solar heat devices allow for greater energy efficiency. Wood cladding is composed of structurally glazed faceted walls, while wooden shingles at various angles optimize ventilation, provide shading, introduce daylight, and craft an undulating surface.