On 22 April people all over the world stop for a minute to celebrate Earth Day. The event series was first organized in the United States in 1970, while now close to 195 countries take part in this global environmental movement. This year the focus is on the threat posed by the exponential growth of plastics to our planet, however we’ve decided to look for something more positive, and rounded up the greenest buildings in Budapest!
Akadémia Park Officum
When it comes to lush greenery, District 2’s Hűvösvölgy neighbourhood performs way above the Budapest average, but the “cold valley” had to wait until 2011 for its first eco-office building. Akadémia Park Officum is situated on the 13 hectares large estate of the former Austro-Hungarian army barracks, and has incorporated most of the buildings of the former cadet school, which date back to 1896. The office complex has won the award for “Europe’s Best Interior Design” in 2011 at the International Property Awards, as well as an “Excellent” rating from BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability assessment company. Surrounded by a huge park, the buildings were redesigned with a chilled beam cooling system, which, coupled with the heat recovery ventilation, ensure a more sustainable and green future for our planet.
Nordic Light
Constructed with the environment-friendly Scandinavian concept of SKANSKA in mind, Nordic Light was opened at the end of 2016, with the aim of creating a building with near-zero energy consumption. Found on Váci út, Nordic Light is the proud owner of a gold certificate from LEED, another important green-building rating system besides BREEAM. In addition to the luxuriant inner garden, the 5th floor community terrace and the rooftop solar panels, the seven-story building was built with 100% recycled steel, while the carpets are made of 45% recycled material. Natural light also plays an important role in the everyday life of Nordic Light office workers, with all the important areas literally flooded by sunshine.
Green House
Another Skanska building, the eight-story high Green House was handed over in 2012, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Nordic Light. It had received a platinum certificate from LEED, the first office building in Hungary to do so. Cutting-edge environmental solutions and green technologies were applied in each and every development phase to minimize the building’s environmental footprint, and reduce its energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. Employees can enjoy the sunny roof terrace, a beautiful, 3000 square meters inner garden and a closed bicycle storage. Twenty-three solar panels, a 70 cubic meters gray water storage, an automatic shade system, and a so-called “bee hotel” make Angyalföld’s Green House one of the city’s greenest buildings.
Vision Towers
The three-sided fan-shaped building of Vision Towers was built in the stead of one of the most iconic modern buildings of Budapest, the emblematic Volga Hotel. It perfectly encapsulates the dynamics of the surrounding traffic intersection, while its V-shaped support beams and black-and-white color scheme reminds us of the work of Oscar Niemayer. The three connecting towers are all different in height, and each individual facade has its own distinct characteristics, while the vivid rooftop garden, unique green architectural solutions and ergonomic and practical interior design combine to make the space more human- and environment-friendly.
Meséskert Kindergarten
The odd-one-out on our list, Meséskert Kindergarten was opened in 2016 in District 13’s Kassák Lajos utca, surrounded by a maze of office buildings and residential blocks. The two-story nursery meets all passive house standards, making its interiors completely pollen- and allergy-free, while saving twenty times the amount of energy consumed by a similar sized building. Meséskert gives place to 400 children, a deepened roof garden instead of a schoolyard (straight out of Le Corbusier’s wildest dreams), which also acts as a fifth facade to the spectators of neighbouring buildings from high above, as well as walkable glass surfaces, an indoor open stage and electrically controlled shades.