Szent Kristóf Children Health Center

During the reconstruction, the building was rethinked and reused in terms of urban planning, architecture, function, and energy efficiency. The continuity is evident in the function of the building: both originally and after the reconstruction still serves children, having been converted from a school into a Children Health Centre. The energy renewal for a building constructed in the 1940s and left abandoned for the past fifteen years was essential. It was the last empty and dilapidated building in the area. The project has therefore significantly improved the townscape. The building was expanded with an extra floor: the original brick architecture is preserved and contemporarily reimagined through ceramics, which also distinctly marks the separation of the ages.

Photos: Balázs Danyi

The Children Health Center is situated in the central area of Budapest, which has undergone significant development in recent years. It was the last building to be vacant and in need of reconstruction. As a result of the developments of the previous years, tall buildings have been erected in the vicinity, changing the relationship between the original building and the transformed neighborhood. It was therefore a good potential for the former school building to be made taller by building on top of it. It can now relate organically to its surroundings. The project has improved the townscape and an abandoned building has regained its former appearance, adapted to modern architectural standards. The new function has also significantly updated the healthcare services for local residents.

The reuse of a vacant building significantly contributes to sustainability: do not demolish and built unnecessarily. The condition of the building is preserved, eliminating the need for demolition, and a brand new building is also unnecessary as the existing one can serve a new function. The building, originally a school with rooms opening from corridors, easily adapted to the new function as a Health Center with minimal modifications. Thus, an efficient solution was achieved both architecturally and financially. Given that the building was constructed in the 1940s, when different energy standards were in place and many technologies were not yet available, it underwent an energy efficiency upgrade. So the center significantly contributes to the quality healthcare of the population and eases the burden on local hospitals.

Through the reconstruction, a previously abandoned building in one of Budapest’s busy centers reconnects with the city, gives the area a new character and fills it with life once more. The architectural work resulted in a form of reuse that is a great example of repurposing a building with a new function. The district aimed to improve the local healthcare services; since the building is located next to the Adult Health Center, it was natural to incorporate it into the Healthcare System. The structure of the former school building was easily adaptable to the new function, as the Health Center also requires rooms opening from corridors, which was already present in the school. In addition to primary care, a physiotherapy unit was placed in the basement, and the extension allowed for the operation of a one-day surgery in the center. This will significantly relieve pressure on the hospitals in the area. Architecturally, the extension follows and highlights the characteristics of the existing building: the new unit is connected to the originally brick-built house with a ceramic facade. This approach was important to emphasize and preserve the building’s existing values. Therefore, the investment not only functionally benefits the area by contributing to the quality healthcare of the population, but also resolves a long-standing architectural and urban planning issue.

The unique health centre in Hungary was designd by reconstructing an existing school building and giving it a new function. The Adult Health Centre of Budapest’s most populous district has been expanded with a new Children Health Centre, a one-day surgery and a physiotherapy unit. The new centre will relieve the burden on the hospitals in the area, contributing significantly to the quality of healthcare for the population.

Photos: Balázs Danyi

Szent Kristóf Children Health Center

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