Liget Budapest is an open international competition, organized by the Museum of Fine Arts of Budapest and the Hungarian government. The purpose of this competition – creating of museums projects that are to be located in the city park of Budapest.

Total planned are five of such museums. They will belong to different spheres of art: music, ethnography, architecture, fine art and photography. Contestants were asked to develop a design of one of the building. We chose the Museum of Modern Art (New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum).

First thing on which we draw our attention was City Park Budapest which is, by itself, like a separate green body of the city. We understand that this organism has its own history, already formed structure and rhythm of life, special emotional environment and constant admirers among the visitors. At the same time it develops and changes, proof of this is that it performs also museum function.

Based on the above, we set a goal that the new shared building of the New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum should be a generator of transformation, namely, it should contribute to the fact that the visitors of the park become the visitors of the museum and the visitors of the museum become the visitors of the park. In our opinion such useful transformation can be done by integrating the building as much as possible to the existing environment. That is why we focus on the harmonious combination of existing park nature and modern museum architecture.

We also understand that museums are communication links between generations, cultures and visitors. That is why the organizers decided to place four out of five historical museums along the historical axis of the park connecting Dozsa Gyorgy street with Hermina street. We entirely support this idea and reproduce it in our architectural concept, namely, the space of the first two floors of the Museum of Contemporary Art will occupy a outdoor public art hall. As for our plan the building of the museum is not the end point of the promenade axis, as if giving way in front of the viewer. So you can go through it and as if symbolically plunge into the time, into the past as well as into the future.

The advantage of such art hall is that it is simultaneously part of both the park and the museum. In addition, it is a versatile, interactive, and able to carry great meaning and functional load:

• firstly, this walking area before the museum is able to accumulate a large number of people, both adults and children, so that space becomes a center of social and family entertainment;
• secondly, this is informational and advertising field which contains visual information about this museum and exhibitions that take place in it, about the rest of the museum which are in the park and also about the city park and the city of Budapest;
• thirdly, this is an area of permanent income, because there are open cafes and trade;
• fourth, this is common protection from rain, which makes its use almost all seasons.

We propose to preserve trees which are in the area of ​​art hall by arranging in the construction flower-bed overlapping. This makes space visually works both for the museum building and the park.

Besides this, the visitors of the museum exhibitions will be able to have visual contact with the park being on all floors of the building. West elevation which overlooks the park has glazing on all floors, this allows visitors to rest between the following exhibition halls to go out on the balcony and watch the park, and then again continue the tour.

The work of the museum is following:

Visitors get to entrance halls of museums on the ground level, stairs and ramps in this case are unnecessary, it allows persons with disabilities to feel comfortable. Museum’s hall has convenient links with the coffee houses and shops, which also are located on the ground floor and have access to an outdoor art hall and museum area. In such way they can work independently from the museum. Showrooms are located on the ground floors. Route of visitors from the elevators to the showrooms is minimal, and this allows to pay more attention to works of art rather than seeking exhibitions. We recommend visitors during the excursion to do little breaks, go out on the balcony and enjoy views of the park, and then with the renewed vigor continue the tour.

Works of art delivery eventuates from the basement, which has approach for trucks and where are placed all the necessary storehouses, workshops and restoration facilities. From this place they are delivered on floors with the help of freight elevators. There are also all technical facilities for servicing the building in the basement.

The museum building has frame type. Columns and ceiling are made of concrete. The distance between columns is significant in order to place the exhibitions and give possibility to freely organize halls space. Heat insulation of external structures and also glazing are done in ways that provide the conditions adopted for zero-energy buildings.

In our concept we tried to affect minimally on the environment of the park that is why we preserved every tree which does not get in the outline of the building or is not located in the path of cars. This approach has helped us to pay attention to the efficient land use. Pedestrian and bike paths we design only where it is necessary and do not take too much of the park area. In addition, we anticipate that on account of a high percentage of renewable energy sources, the usage of durable materials and technology, high attention to the availability of all parts of the building for all ages and abilities of population, we will balance economic, environmental and social side of the museum building in the process of exploitation and concise architectural image of the museum will contribute to the architecture of the city and the landscape of the park first of all will allow easily convey it to other structures.