The Citadel has begun to take on its final face

The ZÁÉV Zrt. and Market Építő Zrt. consortium is progressing according to plan with the renovation of the Citadel. The contractors share the work 50-50 between % and Market Építő Zrt., working together on the various parts of the project. The team is carrying out the construction of the building complex together, with the construction managers' tasks divided into areas, but they also have a good overview of each other's work.

The end of the construction phase

"The restoration and cutting of the fortress walls is practically complete."

- we learned from Zoltan Szeredai, head of Market. The first phase of the landscaping of the inner courtyard of the fortress has recently been completed: demolition and rock-cutting. And sections seven and eight of the walls are now at the patination stage, after demolition, rebuilding and re-anchoring.

Also recently completed is the internal, complete stripping and structural modification of the north-south wing buildings, and the new transformer building is ready to be handed over to the operator. In addition, the dismantling and structural reinforcement of the gun turret lobby has been completed, as well as the cutting of the north-south ramparts and the reinforced concrete reservoirs of the dry moat and the north bastion. The glass structure of the lobby, with custom-sized glass panels and glass beams, is in fabrication and will be assembled on site as part of the completion phase.

Impressive numbers

An important step in the construction is that all buildings are now free of leaks, but the internal and external drainage works on the castle walls are also largely complete.

The reinforced concrete structure of the gun turret is almost complete, but there is still a lot of work to be done, such as the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and all the unrestored ramparts and inner courtyard facades, the completion of the utility works within the courtyard, and the road demolition and rock cutting in the eastern part. The installation of the glass structure of the lobby is pending, as well as the fabrication and installation of the white exposed concrete cladding elements.

"Of course, the construction of the reinforced concrete roof structure of the gun turret, the masonry, restoration and specialist work inside the building will also have to continue," he said.

Special surfaces

Not only the numerous, large structural replacements; the need to meet designers' demands; the constant unexpected works and reinforcements due to the previously neglected and poor condition of the structure, but also the bombs and strong winds in the area, make the construction difficult. In addition to the organisational difficulties, the construction and protection of the white-looking reinforced concrete structures is a major challenge. As the chief architect pointed out among the challenges of the construction:

"Currently, a lot of effort is being put into the development of the white fair-faced concrete structures of the L1 and L2 staircases, which require special solutions. The concrete recipe is special and requires continuous quality control. The precast elements will have to be joined together in the staircases, which will also be made of white concrete, but precast, with invisible joints and difficult access."

Fair-faced concrete panels require a lot of coordination between designers and contractors. The current phase involves sampling and trial production, to verify the feasibility of the designers' ideas, which requires longer preparation to achieve the perfect unique look.