Budapest's second airport hotel to be built - to be connected to the first

The construction work for Budapest's second airport hotel building, TRIBE Budapest Airport Hotel Shell&Core, will be carried out by SWIETELSKY Magyarország Kft. on behalf of WING (WPR PORT Kft.). The expansion of ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel will take the form of a twin building, accordingly, the new building, which will be connected to the current one by a neck section, will also follow the iconic, gravel-like rounded façade design of ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel designed by László Szerdahelyi and the ribbon window layout reminiscent of the shape of passenger aircraft.

Ergonomics was the main motif chosen by Aspectus Architect designers as the visual element of the building. This is suggested by the softly curved corners of the hotel, which lend a sense of lightness to the massing, but also by the single-storey neck linking the new part of the building to the existing one, which will not only provide the common main entrance to the hotel, but will also refer to the site with a canopy supported by sloping reinforced concrete pillars.

The entrances to the two hotels will be shared once the new one is completed: the existing ibis Styles and the new TRIBE will be directly connected.

Similar sight, different interior character

The TRIBE Budapest Airport Hotel will add 8,000 m² of floor space and 167 rooms to the hotel complex, which will be mainly used to accommodate and cater for guests arriving at the airport, as well as provide space for conferences.

Although the exterior of the hotel will be closely related to the characterful design of the Ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel, which was completed a few years earlier, the interior design of TRIBE will be a new direction. The interior ambience, based on the Ester’s Partners design, will be different from the clean design of the Ibis Styles. The construction of SWIETELSKY Magyarország, which will start in August 2023, will include the structural design and the construction of the thermal envelope of the building, according to Project Manager Csaba Csunyi. So:

• earthworks, foundations and reinforced concrete structures,
• construction of façade windows, curtain walls,
• insulation, cladding (composite slabs and precast concrete) and plastering of facades,
• partial demolition works on the façade of the existing hotel building,
• water and thermal insulation of flat roofs,
• carpentry- tinsmith works
• fall protection
• engineering foundation piping; rainwater drainage,
• building lightning protection and
• the construction of locking systems in connection with the above.

Lifting the cellar block was the biggest feat so far

The construction started with excavation and archaeological excavation, and then the post-tensioned canopy structure on steel piers in the area of the later neck had to be dismantled. This was followed by the excavation of the basement block, which was the biggest challenge of the construction project so far," said Csaba Czunyi.

"Vacuum groundwater level reduction had to be carried out in order to achieve the planned foundation level and to construct the basement waterproofing slab without shoring."

The basement block is a waterproof reinforced concrete structure, which has been provided with external, retrofittable, self-adhesive, ground water pressure membrane insulation on the affected base plate and basement wall sections. In addition, due to the thick backfill layer in the development area, piling was also required under the baseplate of the basementless part of the building.

So far, the foundations and the structural construction have been completed up to the 5th floor, where, in addition to the prefabricated staircases, a monolithic reinforced concrete structure is being built on site. At present, in addition to the preparatory works for the facade cladding and the fabrication design, the structural works for the 6th floor are underway; and since it takes 14-16 days to complete each floor, the structural works are scheduled to be completed by mid-May with the slab above the 7th floor and the roof level structures being cast in concrete.

Ferenc Horváth, project manager stressed:

"The developer WING is seeking a BREEAM Good rating for the building. As part of this, emphasis will be placed on ongoing and open communication with the neighbourhood. The developer will also pay particular attention to limiting water and energy use and carbon emissions, recycling as much demolition materials as possible, and sourcing building materials from sustainable sources."

The shell&core is expected to be completed in October 2024.