One of Budapest's most important hotel buildings is being rebuilt from the ground up

One of Lajos Zalaváry's most important buildings is considered to be the hotel on the banks of the Danube, which was handed over in 1982 and was designed by KÖZTI. The building, which operated as Hotel Atrium Hyatt until 1989, has been redesigned by its current owner as a luxury hotel with a panoramic restaurant, featuring spectacular graphic elements in keeping with the spirit of the times.

The originally ten-storey, 357-room hotel building was stripped back to its skeleton so that the internationally renowned New York-based architectural firm Asymptote Architecture, the Front façade design studio and, on the Hungarian side, Bánáti + Hartvig Építész Iroda. According to the plans made public last year, the basic structure of the building – its sculptural massing, proportions, the paraphrase of a tenement house with a unique atrium interior, and the lift tower located in the lobby – will remain unchanged. However, in addition to the redesign of the spaces with new coverings and furnishings, new lifts, an additional floor and a huge panoramic restaurant will also be added.

Total transformation

The contractor involved in this project is Swietelsky Magyarország Kft. is also involved in this project as a contractor, responsible for the final demolition, structural work, architectural work, complete reconstruction of mechanical and electrical systems, and interior design work.

As the general contractor, Swietelsky Magyarország is working with the Italian company PICHLER Projects Srl., as co-contractor, which is building the main façade of the hotel building. Demolition works (cladding, suspended ceilings) for the visual transformation will cover the entire building, with the largest amount of demolition works on the lower commercial floors and the MALÉV wing, while the demolition-construction works related to the structural works will be mainly for the new casino and the new elevator shafts.

"We are also responsible for the construction of a short section of the U-shaped building's facade on Dorottya Street and Apáczai Street, which form a separate architectural unit. The so-called annex facades also include the entrance to the underground car park and the entrance to the commercial building," says Péter Horváth, project manager of Swietelsky Magyarország.

In November last year, the demolition of the external structure and cladding started, which has now been completed in about 80%, and the basic reinforcement of the atrium lift group has been completed. Likewise, the interior of the building is currently undergoing the completion of the cladding demolition works and the structural alterations required for the lifts in the atrium and casino area are currently underway. This will involve adding more lifts to the atrium elevator group, with five lifts in the central area instead of the current three.

"The basic reinforcement of the new lift shafts was already completed in January-February," added the project manager.

They are building next to a continuous plant

Even if the entire building is being renovated, the contractor must use all his skills to ensure that the casino, which is located in part of the building, can operate from 0-24 hours. This concerns not only the use of the parade area, but also the ongoing, scheduled replacement of the mechanical and electrical systems, which have been replaced and replaced continuously since November.

"During construction, noise, dust and other disturbing pollution must be minimised, and the affected part of the building can only be fully renovated after the casino has moved (expected in February 2025)," said Péter Horváth, detailing the challenge.

The renovated hotel is scheduled for completion in autumn 2025.