The museum announced plans for the expansion two years earlier, but they were met with resistance. Critics of the project design said a planned entrance on Heroes? Square leading to the museum?s underground level looked like a ?cement cube?.
The museum responded to the criticism and the debate it sparked with flexibility. Direct Baán asked the planners ? Tamás Karácsony, Ildikó Sebők and György Selényi ? to respect public opinion and keep the square?s original proportions intact. Karácsony and his planners responded to the request by replacing the entrance with a glass tower that has a muted effect on the historical character of the square.
The addition serves not only the museum, making it a multi-functional establishment that can stand on its own among its European peers, but turns the entire City Park into a touristic centre, said Baán.
It is rare for such a broad public debate to ensue over a question of architecture in Hungary. But the dialogue continued and has reached a point of consensus, and that is worth the several months delay, said Baán.
Author: Eszter Götz / Photo: MTI
