New Building of Natural History Museum to Be a Perfect Fit for Debrecen Forest

The city of Debrecen (eastern Hungary) will be enriched by a new architectural attraction. The new building of the Hungarian Natural History Museum is to be integrated into the Great Forest (Nagyerdő) as an artificial hill. The design by the internationally renowned Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with the Hungarian Vikár és Lukács Építész Stúdió, won the architectural competition.

Debrecen Infrastructure Development Kft. (Debreceni Infrastruktúrafejlesztő Kft.) launched the call for entries in September last year. The goal was to design a new exhibition building for the Natural History Museum that would blend harmoniously into the Great Forest of Debrecen and create a connection to the nearby cultural center.

Photo: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt

The jury’s decision was announced at the award ceremony at the Kölcsey Center in Debrecen. At the event, the State Secretary for Architecture of the Ministry of Construction and Transport emphasized the importance of the project for the city and the entire region. Regő Lánszki emphasized that the new building will make the Great Forest an attractive destination for visitors, and will open up new opportunities not only for the city but for the whole region, in tourism, education, research, and in the long term, demographic trends.

He added that

the winning building is “iconic” in a way that blends in with its surroundings, reinforces identity, but is also a work of art in itself that is relatable and compelling.

Martha Thorne, a member of the jury and former executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize (the most esteemed prize in architecture), said that the anonymous competition received 14 entries, and the jury’s aim was to select the proposal that met all the criteria, rather than the personal taste of one jury member.

In addition to the winner, two other designs were honored.

Third place went to Középülettervező Zrt. and second place to a collaboration of 3XN A/S and NAUTES Építészműterem Kft. The winning design by BIG and Vikár és Lukács was awarded 60,000 euros, second place 40,000 euros, and third place 10,000 euros.

Photo: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt

Speaking on behalf of the winning bidders, BIG’s Hanna Johansson said that their design was for a building that would not only be home to the museum, but would also integrate into the Debrecen forest and serve as a new space for local residents.

Ferenc Kun, managing director of Debrecen Infrastructure Development Kft., said that a public procurement procedure would soon be launched, giving the winning designers the opportunity to submit a bid. Following a successful outcome, work could begin to turn theory into reality, he added.

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