Art deco chocolate factory turned hotel - YAH Hotel

In 1928, Stühmer Chocolate Factory, one of the most successful Hungarian enterprises of the 19th century, built its new factory and office building. The stone-clad façade of the building at 8 Szentkirályi utca concealed several functions: in the central part, the sample shop was built by the famous Hungarian art deco architect Ferenc Kende, while the outer axes opened the entrance to the factory and the director's apartment. On the lower floors of the building, the designers evoked the key motif of the Daisy desserts, the Viennese rose baskets, and above the main entrance they placed the crowned central label with the first line of the Hungarian Crest below.

A candy factory and shop operated on the site of the factory and headquarters, located a few steps from Rákóczi Road, as early as 1868. The courtyard was expanded with wings on the south and east sides in 1883 and on the north side in 1927. In 1926, the southern and eastern courtyard buildings were rebuilt as two-storey structures, while the current street wing was built in 1928-29 in a restrained art deco style. In 1996, it was converted into an office building, at which time the portal of the sweet shop was rebuilt. After several years of inactivity, the building complex is now being converted into a hotel on behalf of the French hotel chain YOU ARE HUNGARY Kft., based on the plans of D55 Architectural Office Kft. (Kristóf Vécsey, Dániel Bognár, Ádám Gál). The work of the contractor, SWIETELSKY Magyarország Kft., is therefore complicated not only by the need to preserve the values of the past, but also by the narrow street on which the site is located. Hajnalka Gyécsek, chief construction manager, provided our newspaper with detailed information about the tasks and challenges to be undertaken.

Structural problems, difficult organisation greeted the contractors

The contractors were greeted by a circular block, with a six-storey building at the street front, five storeys in the north wing and two more three storeys high. The construction of You Are Hotel involves the reconstruction of buildings from different eras and with different technical solutions, which have undergone several alterations over the years.

"In fact, our work started in parallel with the structural redesign of the building structure, where we were already carrying out soft demolition and piling work under a subcontractor. The structural redesign was carried out due to the need for sizing according to Standard Eurocod. During the initial phase of the work, we were able to carry out structural demolition and reinforcement to support the work until the piling co-contractor was able to pull out."

- explained the initial difficulties encountered by the Chief Architect. Of course, the structural modification also entailed a change in the architectural and interior design plans, so one of the main difficulties was that the contractors had to implement something different from what they had originally anticipated: "when we went up, demolition and structural reinforcement with concrete were going on at the same time," he added.

It was also a serious organisational challenge to ensure that subcontractors only arrived on site when they were needed, so SWIETELSKY had to work to a very tight schedule and to be very precise about where and how they could work. The narrow street meant that the tower crane was subjected to an unusually high level of stress, as it allowed them to get the materials that had arrived off the trolley and into the building immediately.

"When pouring concrete, it was not always possible to do it with a pump from the street, if the zone was too far away or if it had to be poured in an enclosed space, say under a slab. Even then, we had to rely on the crane to lift the concrete containers and the huge amount of structural steel," the chief architect explained.

From structure to interiors

The actual structural construction could start in October 2023, with the installation of the tower core: the demolition of the roof and the interior was carried out by a co-contractor, but the structural demolition was already the responsibility of SWIETELSKY Magyarország. The redesign of the supporting structure entailed the installation of bracing walls; the reinforced concrete bracing walls had to be stacked from the base to the roof level, so they had to demolish the slab in certain zones and rebuild the units from the bottom up.

"It was a bit of luck," said Hajnalka Gyécsek, "that the roof structure of the street front wing did not have to be demolished, the light steel frame found there was made in the 1980s for an attic construction, so we only had to cover it with a new shell."

After that, it was up to the contractors to design the façades, roofs and interiors, bringing the construction process to an almost turnkey state. As he said, "we also install the sanitary ware, but the furniture, plumbing and kitchen technology are no longer our responsibility."

The main staircase balustrade and the street frontage are protected by the district, and the distribution of the street frontage windows had to be implemented accordingly. The original windows in the office building were replaced by plastic windows, which will be replaced by wooden windows on the street front, while all the windows in the courtyard front will be plastic, in addition to the aluminium frames that border the restaurant.

"When we cleaned the façade with sandblasting technology, we (the owner) were confronted with the fact that there were many old stone patches from damage, which were very different in colour from the original sandstone. These surfaces were homogenised by partial loosening in agreement with the District Building Department."

- noted the Chief Architect.

Lightweight interior, many functions

A total of 94 rooms will be created in the building complex, including three rooms with raised bathrooms, meaning that the bed can be placed under the bathroom to maximise the living space. The interior of You Are Hotel will be characterised by a youthful contrast similar to that of the hotel chain's French unit: solid pastel-coloured walls frame the boldly coloured furniture with its striking metal structures, whose metal grilles or tubular frames are unified by atmospheric lighting.

In addition to double rooms and family rooms, apartments are also available.

The basement level will house a cinema and a fitness room (including laundry facilities) in addition to the kitchen preparation and mechanical rooms. On the ground floor will be the lobby, the hotel restaurant area with a glazed breakfast area; the restaurant service area with the kitchen preparation area. There are also rooms on this level, in addition to suitcase storage and toilets, which are easily accessible from the inner courtyard via glass corridors. Summing up the remaining tasks, Hajnalka Gyécsek highlighted:

"We are currently in the process of finishing the interior of each floor with cold tiling in the bathrooms, and preparing the walls for painting, wallpapering and carpeting the floors. Currently 85% is under construction and the hotel is expected to open in the summer."