Anthony has lived in Budapest for over 30 years. He has designed a number
of award-winning buildings and projects, predominately in areas of cultural
significance in Budapest and the surrounding regions. In addition to architectural
practice, he is the Dean and Professor in Architecture at the Miklós Ybl
Faculty (Architecture and Civil Engineering) at Óbuda University in Budapest
and has also received international recognition as an Architectural Historian
and Heritage Researcher.
Project description in English
The 120-year-old Children’s Hospital (Lajos Ybl 1904) had been uninhabited since 1995. European Capital of Culture in 2023, the historic city of Veszprém chose to rejuvenate brown-field infrastructure to serve community needs. At the outer point of a "green corridor" leading to inner-city institutions, the site is a point of "urban acupuncture", interwoven with public space and the adjacent university campus through strategic removal of boundaries. Enhancement of existing values, recycling and reinterpretation, recognising more and making less underline the design vision. Dialogue between existing value, imagined potential and a synthesised vision working across scale and community engagement were catalysts for the architects’ proposal for the site and represent core values.
Despite the key-location, the site was derelict and did not contribute to community amenity. Dormant value coupled with an innovative design program and public access create significant new amenity and value-enhancement serving long term community and urban needs. Existing values were maintained and enhanced: the existing trees and the restored heritage facade of the main pavilion created a recreational park. The main entrance and cafe were relocated in a new addition facing the reprioritized city centre, creating an outdoor event space common with the university campus and the green corridor.
Restoration and enhancement of existing fabric (including heritage elements) has been contextualised through distinct addition of modern elements, creating a clear visual and functional dialogue. The two pavilions, interconnected by a bridge, received a coordinated logistical spine, incorporating valuable heritage spaces with a new vertical core inserted into the laundry hall. The structure of the main pavilion allowed studios of fixed dimensions, and the large open spaces of the laundry, bounded on two sides with a gallery level, were suitable for a flexible, functional arrangement. The segregated gas boiler facility became a unique "wall-climbing” facility opening directly onto the green corridor. New additions and the modern hall express structure within a bespoke validated shading-privacy etched glass skin. The architects synchronized flexible indoor-outdoor programming, financial and community sustainability, and various tenant specifics (ballet, folk-dancing, wall-climbing) with an analysis of existing fabric potential.
