Reconstruction Of The Red Cross Headquarters

The former headquarters building of Red Cross was designed by the office of Alajos Hauszmann in 1901 on behalf of the Red Cross Society of the Hungarian Holy Crown Lands. The completed building, finished in next July, housed the headquarters of the Red Cross, the Ministry of Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Affairs, and rental apartments. The eclectic building on the southeast corner of Dísz tér was an integral part of the skyline of the Castle District until the end of World War II, and its demolition was decided in 1946. 

The purpose of the reconstruction is to restore the facade design, mass, and layout of the original palace, as well as the interior representative rooms (decoration hall, main entrance). The authentic restoration plans of the original condition were prepared based on the documents discovered by scientific research, original plans and archive photos, other textual documents, the remaining parts of the building on the basement level, and the results of the archaeological excavations.

The development faithfully follows the exterior elements of the former five-story facility with eclectic features, culminating in corner domes. The new structure is built on the remaining foundation walls of the former building because, during the supporting structure analysis, we made sure that the original basement walls in good condition can be kept and used to receive the newly built structures. The structural design therefore exactly follows the original layout, i.e. the main vertical supporting elements, walls at the street and inner courtyard, and the central main wall have been placed at their original place. A row of pillars has been placed along the central main wall for flexible interior design, which allows free interior space distribution.

In the additional areas, modern interior design, building mechanical, and electrical solutions will be implemented to create a contemporary office-functional interior space for the building. In addition to the offices and meeting rooms, a cafe and restaurant serve the workplaces. We created an atrium by covering the top floor of the inner courtyard with glass. From the communal space on the 4th floor, you can go up to the roof terrace of the east wing via the spiral staircase located in the interior patio.

The reconstruction of the building creates a partial enclosure on Dísz tér that harmonizes with the already restored Carmelite monastery and the also-under-reconstruction Main Military Headquarters.