Vörösmarty Square, Lyka House

The building was constructed by Demeter Lyka in 1844, based on the designs of József Hild. It is a characteristic example of Classicism and one of the few buildings that has survived the past 180 years without major remodeling or additional storeys being added.
Our task was the renovation and transformation of this listed historic building, located in a prominent position in downtown Budapest, in a way that would preserve its historical values while also extending it, in keeping with the scale of development that has since emerged on Vörösmarty Square.
As in other cases, we proceeded according to our principles. We proposed renovating the existing building as much as possible through the preservation and restoration of its original values, while designing two additional levels on top in a contemporary architectural expression. As always, the fundamental considerations were the harmony between the two parts of the building and the overall appeal of the final result.
Finding the right solution was made extremely difficult, on the one hand, by the current regulatory framework, which was not particularly well suited to this situation, and on the other, by the unusually and conspicuously poor technical condition of the building’s structure. This was presumably related to the reuse of materials left behind after the 1838 great flood of Pest.
Naturally, we obtained, prepared and took into account all possible materials required by the technical and heritage-related considerations.