The new metro line planned in Budapest is to connect South-Buda with the city center.10 stations will be constructed in the first step . Szt. Gellért tér and Fovám tér station is on the left and right sides of the Danube river.

"FOVÁM TÉR" station is a twin station of the Szent Gellért tér, similarily with a complex stucture composed of a cut-and-cover box and tunnels. The complexity of the structure is even greater, since here a new tunnel for the tramline and a new pedestrian subway has to be constructed, as well. Having the new underground station, Fovám tér will become a new gateway of the historic downtown of Pest.

Only a complex structural system could fulfil the requirements emerging from the proximity of the Danube and the given construction site. On that reason, the station is constructed of a cut-and-cover box and for tunnels.The station is divided into two main stuctural parts as well as two building methods. There is a box structure built through an open pit from the surface. Work pits are supported by slurry or pile walls. The other part of the station is under an exisisting building, it is built using NAT methods.

The box will be supported by three levels of reinforced concrete beams, the structure of which will be similar to a net. There are three layers of this network, which keep the walls of the box like a bone-structure. The design of the box is determined by this sight of concrete net-structure. In the other part the tunells have a curved cross section. The walls and the columns will be covered with printed ceramic tiles of the arfwork type, reflecting to the Zsolnay ceramics of the Gellért hotel, wich is nearby the site.

Due to the construction technology, huge rooms have been created in the inner spaces of the stations. The section of the space is proportional to cross section of average street in Pest ,built in the eclectic period in the 19th century, so the station can be interpreted as a inverse street or square under the surface.

Playing on natural light has been an important aspect in the architectural formation of the entire line. The main goal is –apart from giving enough light of course- to attend on the interior design and show the architectural forming as much as possible.

On the surface of Fovám tér a huge square will be created without traffic. This will allow of locating glassy, crystalloid skylights, which will let the sunlight reach the platform level, emphasizing the unique character of the beam network.

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Project Facts

project: M4 metro line FOVÁM TÉR UNDERGROUND STATIONS, BUDAPEST
location: center of Budapest, Quay of River Danube, Hungary
client: BKV Rt. DBR Metró Projekt Igazgatóság (Budapest Transport Ltd. DBR Metro Project Directory)
year designed: 2005-2013
year built: 2007-2014
budget: cca. 20 million Euro
volume: 7100m2/station
design: sporaarchitects Ltd. – Tibor Dékány, Sándor Finta, Ádám Hatvani, Orsolya Vadász
team: Zsuzsa Balogh, Attilla Korompay, Bence Várhidi, Noémi Soltész, András Jánosi, Diána Molnár, Adrienn Molnár
general design: Palatium Stúdió Kft.
construction, installations: consortium of Fomterv, Uvaterv, Mott-Macdonald

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