The designer for the new exhibition building of the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Debrecen will be selected through a design competition featuring prestigious domestic and international architectural firms, according to a statement by Debrecen Infrastructure Development (DIF) on Wednesday.
In their statement, they wrote, ‘The new museum building is envisioned as an institution that will utilize innovative and iconic architectural solutions to present natural science content in a forward-thinking form, which visitors will be able to enjoy following the completion of the project.’
The Hungarian Natural History Museum currently operates across three sites in Budapest. Much of the professional background work is conducted in two outdated locations, which are inadequate for storing artefacts and have fallen far below international museum standards. The museum’s collection and professional community are outstanding globally, prompting the government’s intention to find suitable accommodation for the institution, they explained.
The statement emphasized that as a result of thorough preparatory work and studies in recent years, the new exhibition building of the museum may be suitably located in Debrecen’s Great Forest (Nagyerdő). The museum, situated in the area of the Oláh Gábor Street stadium, will integrate seamlessly into the unique fabric of the Great Forest, which maintains close ties to the untouched natural environment, while also being the city’s main recreational area and scientific hub.
The project will create one of Central Europe’s most significant cultural, scientific, and community institutions, establishing Europe’s most modern and one of its largest natural history exhibition spaces. The building will not only host modern, innovative, environmentally-conscious, and world-class exhibitions but also offer day-long programmes that meet the requirements of current and future museum visitors and trends, they elaborated.
The Natural History Museum, as a prominent base institution for national and international scientific research, remains committed to its mission of inspiring and maintaining the public’s desire to learn about and understand the diversity of nature, as well as fostering visitors’ commitment to preserving the natural environment. Its educational programme will ensure the opportunity for public education, environmental awareness training, and scientific education for everyone, the statement noted.
According to the statement, in order to ensure the high-quality execution of the project, a two-stage international design competition will be launched for the new exhibition building by the Debrecen Infrastructure Development Ltd on behalf of the city of Debrecen, inviting submissions from leading international and domestic architectural firms.
Following the initial pre-qualification phase, 14 foreign and Hungarian architectural firms will be invited to participate in the competition. In the second phase, firms can submit their designs by 7 January 2025, after which a jury of esteemed domestic and foreign experts will select the best submission. The total prize money for the competition is 330,000 euros.
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