Japanese studio SANAA to design new national gallery in Budapest

Japanese architectural studio SANAA has been chosen over Norwegian firm Snøhetta to design a new national gallery in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

The gallery is one of five new museums to be built in Budapest’s Vársoliget City Park as part of a larger regeneration project entitled Liget Budapest.

In April this year SANAA and Snøhetta were awarded joint first place in a restricted competition to design the gallery, but SANAA won out after an additional round of technical and financial discussions.

Two prominent features of the design of the new National Gallery of Hungary will be concave roof planes and slanted terraces that will extend slightly over the parkland.

“Ours is a contemporary form of public space – one where city, gardens and exhibition rooms become part of an experiential whole. [...] It is a museum that fluctuates with seasonal shifts,” said SANAA co-founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

Developments started at the site last year and the gallery is set to open in summer 2019.

Source: Dezeen