A significant majority of Budapest residents and those living in the surrounding area support the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) investment on Somlói út, within the framework of which the socialist "landscape wound" on the side of Gellért Hill can be taken over by a modern educational building complex that also meets the needs of the local population.
"It doesn't fit into its surroundings, it evokes bad memories, so it should be demolished and a modern real estate complex and park should be built in its place, harmonizing with its surroundings and open to the local residents" - this is the opinion of the residents of Budapest and the majority of those living in the immediate vicinity of the property From the former headquarters of the Labor Guard.
The public opinion poll on this matter was commissioned by the MCC, within the framework of the representative survey, a thousand Budapest residents were questioned, in addition to 500 people each in the capital's I. and XI. district, based on a random selection.
In mid-December, the institution announced that the first step of the large-scale investment will soon begin in the first district of the capital, at 49-53 Somlói út. Demolition of the building that housed the former Labor Guard headquarters located at no. Highlighted:
the historically heavily burdened property, which formerly housed the MCC Budapest center, cannot be salvaged in terms of its external and internal condition, and is unsuitable for educational activities.
That's why the foundation that runs the talent management institution decided to take over the "landscape wound" on the side of Gellért Hill with a modern educational building complex that also meets the needs of the local population, they added.
Most of the respondents who participated in the public opinion survey thought of the current building primarily as a derelict, old, ugly and outdated sign, but many also associated it with socialism and the Workers' Guard, which protects the communist system, they wrote.
92 percent of the respondents consider the buildings to be ugly, 91 percent to be inappropriate to their environment and 90 percent to be out of date.
The majority of respondents also agreed that the buildings should be demolished. According to most respondents, demolition and the creation of a new public building is the ideal scenario, rather than renovation, and less than 5 percent of respondents supported leaving the building in its current state, the statement said.
Instead of social reality, it is green and national
As for the expectations of the new MCC center, the majority of research participants hope for an increase in green space, the building's ecological sustainability, and that it will fit into the Gellert Hill skyline, and that the garden and park will also be open to the people in the neighborhood.
Visual design of the new building (Source: MCC)
When presenting the plans, the MCC announced that instead of the current two buildings, only one building will be located on the lot, so the park area that can be visited by local residents will be much more extensive, and several public spaces will be created in the building, which will be open to everyone.
According to the announcement, more than 80 percent of those interviewed said that the new object should be a defining element of contemporary Hungarian architecture and should be based on national architectural traditions. They also announced that the MCC had launched an open architectural design competition for the design of the new building complex in Budapest.
The judging committee, made up of renowned experts, announced two first place winners, and finally one of the winners, Napur Architect Kft., continued the design of the new Gellérthegy campus under the leadership of Ferencz Marcel, a Ybl award-winning architect who is also a new Prima Primissima award winner.
- When evaluating the visual plans, many people used the adjectives modern, beautiful, European standard and imposing, and several also emphasized that it will be clearly better than the current one. More than 80 percent of the respondents liked the environment, the interior, the external appearance, as well as the fact that it will function as a talent care institution in the future, and the same number also answered that they would be happy with the new building, MCC announced.
MTI
Cover image: The former headquarters of the Labor Guard (Source: MCC)
