The current state
of Istvánmező Sports Centre shows a very mixed picture. On one hand the former
glory of the past can be felt: The lean pylons of the Puskás Ferenc Stadium
still define the overall image of the neighborhood, the Stadium designed to the
„Dávid-axis”, the Dromosz and the new Papp László Sportsarena trio is a special
space experience, on the west side in the sports halls active sport life is
happening and on other sides enthusiastic sportsmen are preparing for their
current competition. However the current state of the area has quite a few
negative features as well: The state of most of the sports facilities are not
satisfactory, the buildings cannot ensure the possibility of high level
preparations, the whole are is unsettled, many unused areas are present as
bubbles in the part of the town and the whole area can be defined rather as an
isolated inaccessible world than a sports center closely intertwined with
surrounding parts of the city.
During the
planning we wanted to establish a sports part of the city which can not only be
a venue for competitions, mass or leisure sports, but also provides a physical
and mental relaxation for the citizens of Budapest. Our goal was to create a
thematic sports park, which is exemplary at the international level too and
motivates to the love of sport, healthy lifestyle and active recreation. We had
a vision of a positive approach, a sustainable urban center in all aspects,
which gives a new meaning to the slogan: „Sport is for everyone!”
During the
planning particular attention was paid to respect the historic values. At the
design of the new football stadium we examined the ways it can be placed within
the designated area, and we concluded that by removing the railway washers and
service tracks on the south area the new 65.000 seat facility can be placed
optimally. With this we not only get to keep the space system of Dromosz which
is special in historical aspects, but we also gain new revalued areas by
integrating the brown field MÁV areas. The location of the new football stadium
in the aspect of sunlight, wind flow technology and in space creation lead to
the best solution. In addition by rerouting the Dózsa György street to the
Asztalos Sándor street a much better traffic engineering state can be achieved
than the current state.
Another important
aspect for us was the approach of the site and giving an active connection to
the neighboring fabric of the city. We created a pedestrian and bicycle traffic
system around the new iconic stadium which provides separate floors for the
fans entering the stadium and the approach for VIPs, players, media and the
service loading. The VIP and media grandstand was placed on the optimal south
side length so that the stadium can be reached the fastest and safest way for
the special guests. The elevated ramp is a worthy leading up for viewers coming
from the Eastern Railway station, The Papp László Sports Arena and from the new
suburban railway station. With the use of not underground built parking lots besides
these benefits significant costs can be spared. The ideal space utilization
needs required by the FIFA and UEFA cannot be fully met because of the urban
character and limited site area. We recommend that during key events the
surrounding streets, and the currently unused sport facility areas should be
use for such service and logistics.
On the west side
of the sports city at the installation we paid attention to respect and amplify
the „aura” of the Puskás Ferenc Stadium. The plans were designed to match the
neighboring built-in size, space creation and character. We created a hybrid
installation that can serve visiting athletes and nearby residents’ needs as
widely as possible. For this, as described in Appendix 4, we had to create
services matching the spirit of the era. We designed the installed functions in
the most economical manner, reinforcing each others’ effects developing the
part of the city based on the domino principle. For this we kept and recycled
the buildings that should be kept at greatest extent. The whole area is open
not only for sportsmen but with the help of active use of public space the area
could become a high quality green area which will be valuable for civilians
too. The area can be closed off in a case of a sporting event and safety zones
can be created.