An Architectural Ideal: Demountable Buildings in a Compact City

"A sustainable civilisation is one that can adapt to boundary conditions. How can we design buildings that adjust to climatic conditions and their implications? How can old structures be repurposed?" With these thought-provoking questions, János Levendovszky, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation, introduced the third session of Future Planner.BME, organised by the Faculty of Architecture.

The event, titled Viable Adaptations: Future-Conscious Reuse of the Built Environment, delved into the theme of sustainable and adaptive architecture. In his opening address, György Alföldi, Dean of the Faculty, highlighted, "We are in the midst of a major transformation, sensing it intuitively yet often hesitating to act accordingly, which is why a shift in mindset is imperative."

This paradigm shift was the focus of the faculty's educational lecture series, which adopted an innovative format compared to previous sessions: dialogues between pairs of presenters. This approach resonated well with the Faculty of Architecture's ethos, where, as noted by Bálint Kádár, Vice Dean and the event's moderator, engineering and artistic perspectives coexist harmoniously.

The broadest scope, urban architecture, was addressed in a presentation titled Adaptive Cities: Compact and Carbon-Neutral Built Environments by Árpád Szabó, Associate Professor at the Department of Urban Planning and Design, and Norbert Harmathy, Associate Professor at the Department of Building Services Engineering. They outlined key challenges in Hungarian urban planning, such as population decline juxtaposed with urban sprawl. Residential areas are expanding, yet not typically utilising large brownfield sites, which amount to 2,737 hectares in Budapest alone, based on last year’s data. Additionally, 15-17% of residential units stand vacant.

This situation falls far short of efficiency ideals in the age of the climate crisis. The compact city model offers a promising solution: denser, mixed-use developments located close to one another, underpinned by the principles of a circular economy. This approach integrates recycling into the urban fabric and infrastructure.

Energy efficiency also plays a role in compact cities. Thermal engineering demonstrates that decentralised energy systems, energy communities, prosumer buildings, digitalised power grids, and air-source heat pumps contribute to more cost-effective operation. A compact city, when designed effectively, could even achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

András Sipos, Head of the Department of Morphology and Geometry Modelling, and Balázs Falvai, Assistant Professor at the Department of Residential Building Design, discussed adaptive materials. Designing sustainable buildings requires predicting future scenarios, including material durability. Historically, materials were often used very efficiently, primarily through optimised geometric solutions.

Adaptivity does not necessarily imply high-tech solutions. In fact, while contemporary methods might simplify construction, they often involve excessive material usage. Biology and evolution offer inspiration for optimisation: for example, spider webs are not only materially efficient but also geometrically optimised for their purpose.

Recycling spans multiple dimensions. As urban areas lack vacant lots, zero-start design projects are increasingly rare. Students must instead learn to identify the inherent value in existing buildings for repurposing. This mindset aligns with 

the "tinkering" approach of reusing stored or salvaged materials.

Zsófia Horváth-Farkas and Fruzsina Barta, Assistant Lecturers at the Department of Explorative Architecture, underscored the immense energy in already existing buildings. They stressed that demolition should be a last resort. Current regulations do not yet adequately address the reuse or quality assurance of salvaged materials. In this context, István Vidovszky, Head of the Department of Construction Technology and Management, outlined a forward-thinking approach: designing buildings with dismantling in mind, leveraging modular systems with robotic construction technologies.

The final presentation, Adaptive Heritage – Architecture in Small Steps, was delivered by Péter Kronavetter, Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Building Design, and Zorán Vukoszávlyev, Associate Professor at the Department of History of Architecture and Monument Preservation. They showcased contemporary applications of historical architectural knowledge and modern reuse of old buildings. Examples included the acoustical refurbishment of the Academy of Music and the transformation of a former monastery in Sopronbánfalva into a hotel.

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