Work starts on Sou Fujimoto's House of Hungarian Music in Budapest
The House of Hungarian Music by Sou Fujimoto – the architect behind such projects such as The Serpentine Gallery and the Musashino Art University Museum – is set to undergo construction on the shore of Városliget Lake in Budapest’s City Park.
The building, part of an expansive national cultural initiative, will utilise transparent glass walls and a mushroom-shaped, perforated roof, to mimic the free-flowing, airy, and barrier-shattering attributes of music.
Fujimoto was awarded the contract in 2014 after a competition involving international such architectural firms as AVA, Kengo Kuma, and Ziya Imren.
On completion, the development will serve both as an arts venue and exhibition hall, showcasing Hungary’s long history of musical prowess. An underground space spanning 2,000sq m (21,500sq ft) will also be home to various venues for permanent and temporary exhibitions, while the first floor will house a library of world popular music.
The £213m (US$275.6m, €236.5m) five-building museum project is being spearheaded by the The Museum of Fine Arts Budapest and the Városliget Zrt.
The development will see old buildings onsite demolished and replaced with new structures. Called 'Liget' the Hungarian government describes the plans as an "an urban public park for relaxation, a green oasis, and a home to institutions of culture, entertainment and recreation".
Work started at the end of last year on the Napur-designed Museum of Ethnography.
Other projects include the New National Gallery by SANAA and the Museum of Hungarian Architecture by KÖZTI Architects & Engineers. A large swathe of parkland will also be regenerated, with thousands of trees planted.
The overall development is expected to be completed in 2020 and has been projected to draw an extra 300,000 tourists to Budapest every year.
House of Hungarian Music Sou Fujimoto Hungary The Museum of Fine Arts Budapest Városliget Zrt Napur