It is not just the paving that is being removed at one of Budapest’s most important cultural and community venues

Erzsébet Square, situated in Budapest’s 5th district, has had a rather eventful history. Among other things, the square was once home to a German theatre and, later, a kiosk designed by Alajos Hauszmann, which housed a café on the ground floor and a dance hall on the upper floor. There was also a bus station here, built in 1948–49 to a design by István Nyíri.

The square’s current function is simultaneously transport-related, tourist-oriented, cultural and community-based; moreover, it does not function entirely as a traditional park area built on natural ground, but is situated above a concrete slab.

A recently published – aimed at the regeneration of Erzsébet Square – public procurement tender, the surface paving in certain parts of the square, along with the underlying drainage, waterproofing and thermal insulation layers, will be removed and then rebuilt.

Advertised by Belváros-Lipótváros Városüzemeltető Kft.

The works are intended to restore the entire technical stratigraphy of the affected area, including the replacement of the drainage system and the repair of the waterproofing.

The value of the works contract is 278,253,228 forints, and the successful tenderer is Multimat Pro Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft.

It’s not just a matter of lifting the paving stones

According to the public procurement data, approximately 1,065 cubic metres of soil will need to be moved at the worksite. The works will begin with the excavation of the affected area. The contractor will remove 196 square metres of paving stones and store the paving elements so that they can be reinstalled once the works are complete.

The CKT concrete base, approximately 50 centimetres thick, which lies beneath the paving stones, will also be broken up and removed. Following this, a significant amount of soil will be excavated to gain access to further layers beneath the surface. A temporary tent will also be erected over the work area.

450 metres of drainage pipe are being replaced

One of the most significant items in the public procurement contract is the refurbishment of the drainage system. During the works, 450 metres of drainage pipework will be replaced, and 27 PVC combined drains, each 125 millimetres in diameter, will be installed.

The system’s function is to collect the water that enters the layer and drain it away appropriately, as rainwater cannot simply seep into the natural soil here.

The section between the pool and the water engineering systems will also be re-lined, involving the complete replacement of the so-called Link Seal insulating elements in the floor ducts.

They are also carrying out repairs to the waterproofing

As part of the works, the existing PVC waterproofing membrane will also be repaired, covering a total area of approximately 240 square metres. In addition, 32 floor penetrations will be repaired using welded collars and brush-on waterproofing.

This is important because the points where various cables, pipes and other structures pass through the waterproofing system are particularly vulnerable. Without proper waterproofing at these junctions, water can find its way into the structure.

During the works, tensioning strips made of sheet metal will also be fitted, after which a new layer of filter mesh will be applied over the existing PVC insulation.

The stratigraphy beneath the green space is being reconstructed

Once the necessary repairs have been carried out, the entire layer structure must be rebuilt. New thermal insulation and a protective covering for the insulation are being installed over an area of approximately 1,230 square metres, partly using the existing thermal insulation boards and the 40×40-centimetre paving slabs that were previously removed. The required thickness of the thermal insulation to be reinstalled is also being verified from an energy efficiency perspective.

This is where the new green roof layer sequence will be installed, which includes, amongst other things, the DIADEM VLF-200 geotextile, the DIADEM DiaDrain 60 drainage board and the root-resistant membrane. This layer sequence ensures that water can drain away properly beneath the park’s vegetation-covered surface, whilst the waterproofing and the underlying structure remain protected.