Tüskecsarnok multipurpose venue, Budapest

Good things take time.

In 2014, the eye-catching multipurpose venue in Hungary’s capital city was finally able to open its doors. Originally, the building was intended to open for the EXPO 1995, to be held in Budapest and Vienna. After the expo was cancelled, however, construction work then ceased. Finally completed almost 20 years later, everything naturally had to be just right.

Project data

New-build project for multipurpose venue

Architects: Antar Lazar

Completion: 2014

SCHELL products: PURIS SC-M self-closing wash basin tap, LINUS Basic SC-M concealed shower

Just looking at the building tells you that it was obviously designed to be something special. Most prominent of all are the 84 ‘spines’ on the dome-shaped roof. These are used to let natural light into the space below. In the evenings, the steep-sided glass pyramids can be illuminated in many colours, drawing attention to events held inside.

The building was slightly submerged into the ground to avoid it appearing too massy. The venue has space for up to 3,000 guests. The building is primarily used to host ice hockey matches – such as the home games played by Hungarian first-league club MAC Budapest. But amateur athletes and students from the nearby University can also come and keep fit here.

While architecturally less dramatic, the sanitary facilities maintain the building’s high standards. The fittings here needed to be hygienic as well as offering lasting visual appeal. SCHELL was therefore the obvious choice. The high-quality wash basin taps and shower fittings are not only especially easy to clean and durable, however, but they also help to save water. After all: anything that has taken 20 years to come to fruition should certainly be sustainable.