The World Athletics Championships starts on August 19 in Budapest, welcoming more than 200,000 athletes from over 200 countries.Continue reading
The National Athletics Center won in two categories in the finals of one of the world’s most prestigious architectural competitions, the 13th Architizer A+Awards.
A month ago, it was announced that based on the decision of the professional jury, the Budapest facility was among the world’s top five in both the “Stadium and Arena” and “Sustainable Sports and Recreation Building” categories. The National Athletics Center won in both categories based on public votes.
“I am truly proud of the double award, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire NAPUR Architect team and all our partners for their collaboration,” said Marcel Ferencz, Kossuth Prize-winning architect and lead designer at NAPUR Architect Ltd. He also emphasized that the greatest recognition for an architect is when a building is embraced not only by the profession but also by the public.
The two audience awards – one for the iconic stadium function and one for its sustainable and community character – perfectly confirm our vision that the National Athletics Center is more than just an arena: it is a lively and lovable place open to everyone,”
he said.
Panorama Sports Park in the athletics center. Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
According to a statement released by the Best Ever communication agency on Wednesday, it can be said that the facility hosting the 2023 World Athletics Championships is not only considered by the professional jury to be among the world’s elite, but has also won the hearts of the public interested in international architecture. After the World Championships, the stadium underwent a unique transformation: the upper stands were replaced by the nearly 15,000-square-meter Panorama Sports Park that is open to everyone and free to use.
Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
This made the National Athletics Center the world’s first “open arena” to serve new community functions, recreational sports, and active lifestyles after a major sporting event, reads the statement. As they wrote, this sustainable model and community approach also contributed to the prestigious international awards it has now won.
Via MTI, Featured image: Wikipedia