"The era of quality, not fast construction is coming" - interview with the national chief architect

As the market environment has changed, so have the criteria

He justified the Public Investment Act on the grounds that there was a lag in this area compared to market investment. "We have seen that in more than 80 percent of cases, projects have been completed at a higher cost than planned, up to two to three times the planned cost. Furthermore, very often - in 80-90% of cases - purchases were made without an implementation plan, on the basis of a single quotation, whether for design, technical supervision or construction," he pointed out. "Accordingly, the projects were based on the authorisation plan, but there were also cases where even the latter was not available, so that in a 'design and build' system, design and construction were carried out in parallel."

He added that in a market environment where various resources are available and buildings need to be completed as soon as possible, such a transaction was justified, but this situation has changed. "Now the main criteria is that every building has to be designed very precisely, cost-effectively, energy-efficiently and with maximum optimisation in terms of operation. And that forces us to build a much more thorough preparation phase."

The fact that the operator will also be involved in this phase is an indication of the much greater focus on preparation in the future. "It's not enough just to build a building, the maintenance conditions are just as important."

The architect will be obliged to prepare an accurate budget, for which he will be held responsible

The new law will also provide for the protection of green areas, adequate infrastructure and the prioritisation of brownfield sites in the region around Budapest, which has become congested with housing developments, among other things, the event said.

Regő Lánszki pointed out in the interview that, in contrast to the Investment Act, the Architecture Act also deals with market-based construction, i.e. the possibilities for a private contractor, in addition to the state. They also set out principles that reflect the approach of the new law.

"Twelve very important principles have been set out in the new law, including basic principles on quality of life, architectural quality, protection of green spaces and existing buildings, and land use. These priorities can later be used as the basis for decisions by the chief architect and the planning council, and therefore carry considerable normative weight."

While we are building up the natural environment, there are abandoned buildings in the inner areas of the settlements

The principles were defined on the basis of current trends, one of which is that Hungary's infrastructural density has increased rapidly in recent decades.

"Between 2009 and 2019 alone, 5 percent of our country's land was built up. This means that settlements are starting to spread out and investments are being made in green areas, which bring with them additional problems beyond the damage to nature. Among other things, there is a lack of adequate infrastructure: no roads, no water, no sewerage. At the same time, the human infrastructure network is often lacking: doctors' surgeries, kindergartens, schools, public spaces and playgrounds. This means that anyone who moves there will be faced with these problems and will constantly be burdened by the roads leading out of the area, as we have seen over the last 20 years."

The overall picture is that there is still considerable building potential in the areas within the urban boundaries. "There are both undeveloped sites and abandoned buildings, just think that there are currently more than 700,000 vacant properties in Hungary. If we think in the long term, we need to address these opportunities. Accordingly, the new law focuses on the use of existing building stock."

No more new outdoor space, focus on reusing existing buildings

The reuse of the existing building stock was divided into two parts by the national architect. "On the one hand, we need to talk about brownfield sites, which have lost their former industrial and logistical role and are standing idle, not on the outskirts of the city but in the city centre. We can make their redevelopment more attractive with subsidies."

The other priority area is the group of listed buildings and local protected buildings. "We have found that although they have a special value, they are currently a burden for operators and investors. They have to spend two to three times more than the average on buildings, while at the same time they are tied by regulation on many investments."

Turning to the management of these problems, he said that very strict regulations will be applied to the external areas beyond the municipal boundaries:

"In practice, the inclusion of new outlying areas will be eliminated, and instead we should concentrate on our existing assets and give discounts there. Up to now it has been easier for operators to find outside areas to invest in, but with the tightening up and the subsidies we want to shift the focus to the inside. We are confident that this will lead to a major change in the urban landscape in the coming decades."

A significant number of valuable monuments have been renovated, but the current model is not sustainable

In response to a question, he specifically addressed the future strategy for listed buildings, building on the results of recent years. "Here too, it is worth making a distinction between state-owned buildings, on which the state has spent very considerable sums of money over the last five to ten years, restoring many rural castles. On the other hand, it has also been possible to apply for and receive funds for the improvement of privately owned listed buildings. The third leg of this area is the vernacular architecture programme, which is very close to my personal heart. Here, too, there were considerable opportunities not just to renovate a single monumental house, but to renovate a significant part of the Hungarian nation's folk architectural treasure. All these programmes have worked well not only from the border, but throughout the whole of historic Hungary."

However, the State Secretary stressed that these subsidies alone will not provide a long-term solution.

"There's always a bottom in the bag, and the state cannot provide benefits indefinitely. Many castles have been renovated to the tune of billions of euros, making them now visitable, aesthetically pleasing and able to enjoy their original architectural values again, but none can be said to be profitably sustainable. The state has to dip into its pockets year after year to finance their operation: we think this model is not a good one."

It is not enough to give a one-off grant for a partial renovation

As a solution, he said, they want to motivate the managers of publicly-owned listed buildings to add features to the buildings that are not in conflict with the character of the building and are not unknown in the market, so that they become sustainable and generate a profit.

He concluded by saying that the government's plan is to renovate up to 90 percent of Hungary's historic monuments by 2035, despite the current economic situation.

Validation of form is not just an aesthetic consideration, the rule of 3 thousandths applies

In the case of major public investments, the State's intention, which is intrinsically linked to the restoration of historic buildings, is to approve 3 thousandths of the budget for the incorporation of works of art. "At the turn of the century, the various architectural schools of the time paid great attention to the need for a building not only to be functional, but also to have the right decoration and form.

This is not just an aesthetic issue, as these landmarks have a major impact on the neighbouring buildings, the people who live there and the whole community."

He reminded us that this design started to wear out as function became more important in buildings. "Already in the mid-20th century, it was recognised that too much clarity would lead to dreariness, so it's no wonder that the 2,000 rule was introduced. It stipulated that any such investment must include a fine or applied art element. This can be seen in late modern buildings, but in recent decades this rule has disappeared. We want to re-establish this, of course with a quality jury, with the support and cooperation of the Hungarian Academy of Arts."

He stressed that this element will be included in the law on public investments, while there will be no regulation requiring 3 thousandths for private investments: "In market investments, it is basically up to everyone to decide how much to spend." At the same time, they are looking for ways to enforce the same direction here. "Here, we would not tie the regulation to the amount of investment, but we are looking at how this idea can be reflected in spaces open for public use. We have consulted a lot with property developers in the market and have found open doors, as they too have a vested interest in enforcing distinctiveness and ornamentation."

Half a kilometre of green rings around the settlements

The architecture law also places great emphasis on the protection of green areas, as it does for listed buildings, and in line with this, Regő Lánszki also emphasised the role of landscape architects. "Architecture and our architectural culture should not only be about the buildings, but also about the green spaces around the buildings. In addition to the aforementioned ban on building on the outskirts, we are creating a 500-metre green ring around our settlements, which has its origins in the 1938 law that defined a 200-metre green ring."

A further tool will be the introduction of a kind of green label for interior areas, which will essentially be a green space certification scheme. "This is similar to the existing building energy certification scheme. The aim is to ensure that those who have green space not only own it but also look after it, including by planting native plants."

As for the role of landscape architects, he said that the new law makes the employment of landscape architects in planning councils mandatory. "We are also proposing to create a national landscape architect function in addition to the national chief architect."

Focus on interior architecture: impact on quality of life and psyche

Interior design is also emphasised in the new legislation, justified by the fact that we spend 80-90% of our lives indoors. "This has the biggest impact on us - the materials, the colours, the lighting we choose to surround ourselves with. It's not just an aesthetic issue, it's a quality of life and health issue. And it also affects the human psyche, so it even influences the choices we make."

The State Secretary said that only a part of the market has so far focused on interior design, while in many cases it has not received enough attention in public investments. "To change this, the new regulations will invite interior designers to join the planning councils."

Not only the rules written down matter, local architects and planning councils are given the right to comment and veto

It is no coincidence that the role of the planning councils was mentioned several times in the interview, and I would like to reinforce their role. "We don't just believe in the laws as written. Over the past decades, the building law has grown steadily, becoming more and more complex and layered. It has developed into a multi-foil regulatory regime in which in many cases the regulator itself does not know what it wants. As a result, neither the designer of a project nor the investor in a project knows: they have been forced to consult with the chief architects. A professional who knows a municipality well knows what is qualitatively appropriate for it much better than an authority looking at the issue behind the back of rules."

In light of this, the Secretary of State stressed that a black and white set of rules will be developed that is easy to follow, thus helping architects and investors. "On the other hand, we are empowering local architects and local planning councils to give their opinions in all cases and giving them veto powers. If in a building permit process the district-level planning council does not agree to the permit, the building cannot be built. This is to guarantee quality."

Using all available means to reduce the country's exposure to construction materials

In addition to the above-mentioned cornerstones of the new construction regulation, the statements of the Minister of Construction and Transport János Lázár and the State Secretaries of ÉKM often echo the priority of the Hungarian interest in the sector. One of the emphasised means of this is the prioritisation and support of domestic factories and domestic building materials.

"This is a strategic issue: since 1920, one of Hungary's most pressing problems has been its dependence on raw materials. We need imports of building materials without which the construction industry cannot function."

This exposure is most evident in the evolution of prices for construction materials. "In recent years, the price of a construction product has sometimes doubled or even quintupled, and this has basically determined the whole market, causing serious problems. Accordingly, it is our determination, as expressed in our strategy for the construction industry, to produce everything we can domestically, and this is what the support of domestic factories serves." He added that, of course, this cannot always be done. "And in those cases, we want to open up the spectrum wider, so we are not just targeting the typical sourcing markets we are currently using, but looking at a much wider range to create price competition."

In addition to strengthening domestic production and diversification of imports, he identified innovation as a third element: "We will give maximum support to any innovative product and technology that can produce substitutes."

No one is excluded, but maximum support is given to domestic industry

At the end of the interview, we also asked the Secretary of State about multinational construction companies, which have been stable and reliable players in the domestic construction industry for decades, but in the light of the above, the attitude towards them may be questionable. "We are not hiding our desire to pursue a patriotic economic policy. We support domestic owners, manufacturers, contractors and workers, and we want profits to stay in Hungary. These are our main principles. If you look around a little in other countries, you will see that neither in Austria, nor in Germany, nor in France can a Hungarian business be as successful as a company with domestic support. We need to strengthen this support.

Whatever the case, we are striving for quality, reliability, and along those five pillars, if someone can ensure the safety of domestic workers and domestic supply, then there is no obstacle to their presence, no one is excluded, no one is excluded. In fact, we are in partnership with major international building material manufacturers and contractors, but we tell everyone in black and white that we are fully supportive of domestic players."