Agora Budapest: the new citycenter

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Budapest

Region

Europe

Native title of the NBS intervention

Agora Budapest: Az új városközpont

Short description of the intervention

Agora Budapest is a large scale urban redevelopment project initiated by private investors. Besides implementing five high-quality office buildings, the investors aim at creating green public spaces the size of 7000 square metres in order to provide a healthy and vivid working environment. The green surface involves green roofs, parks and tree lines, all which will be irrigated using collected rainwater. The solar panels on the roofs of the buildings are also part of the sustainability plans of the investors. (Ref 1. and Ref 4.)

Address

Hungary

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary

POINT (19.06359 47.5338)

POINT (19.06643 47.53248)

POINT (19.0661 47.53155)

POINT (19.06316 47.53225)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

The photo can be found on the following webpage: https://magyarepitok.hu/kepriport/2018/08/az-orszag-legnagyobb-darujarol-kaphatunk-latkepet-az-agora-budapest-munkalatairol

Total area

33300.00m²

NBS area

7000.00m²

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Central Business District / City Centre

Website of the intervention

https://hbreavis.com/hu/projektek/agora-budapest/

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2017

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2018

End date of the intervention

2023

Present stage of the intervention

Ongoing

2. Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

- Provide a positive work environment;
- In accordance with the sustainable development strategy of the private investors, the project puts emphasis on green surfaces in the outside community areas of the office buildings;
- Besides the regeneration of the existing green surfaces, new tree lines are planned along with the new buildings (Reference 1).

Quantitative targets

unknown

Monitoring indicators defined

unknown

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Creation of opportunities for recreation

Economic development and employment (SDG 8)

Economic development: service sectors

Implementation activities

The construction of the project started in 2017. As of June 2020, the Agora Tower building has been completed with other buildings also under construction. Offices such as Raiffeisen Bank's office are already in use, and a canteen has also been opened.

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Transformation of previously derelict areas

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Nature on buildings (external)

Green roofs

Balcony greens

Grey infrastructure featuring greens

Alley or street trees and other street vegetation

Institutional green space

Parks and urban forests

Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Green areas for water management

Sustainable urban drainage systems

Please specify other type of green roof

unknown

Type of Green Roof

Other

What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?

Low: Simple rain water collection intervention (rain garden, local seepage pit) or simple permeable areas

Vegetation Type

Grass

Shrubs

Trees

Please specify how many trees were planted

Unknown

Amenities offered by the NBS

Benches and drinking water stations

Complementing infrastructure (bathrooms, café)

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Cultural services

Aesthetic appreciation

Inspiration for culture, art and design

Recreation

Please specify "other habitat and supporting service"

Medical services, a bank, a gym and retail stores

Scale

Spatial scale

Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Beneficiaries

Primary Beneficiaries

Private sector/Corporate/Company

Other

Please specify "other primary beneficiary"

Corporate renters of the offices and their employees (Reference 2).

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Led by non-government actors

Non-government actors

Private sector/Corporate/Business

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

Unknown

Key actors - initiating organization

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Land owners

No information found

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Financial institution

Land owners

No information found

Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used

Unknown

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan

- Étv. (Építési törvény - Building Code): 1997. évi LXXVIII. tv. 62.
- OTÉK (Országos Településrendezési és Építési Követelmények - National Building Regulations): 253/1997. (XII. 20.) Kormány rendelet

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

- UKVSZ - (Újpest városrendezési és építési szabályzata - Building Regulations of the local government) 20/2014. (VI. 27.) Önkormányzati Rendelet

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Voluntary (spontaneous)

Please specify other type of voluntary intervention

Initiated by the private investor to attract renters and investors (Reference 3).

Enablers

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-financing governance arrangements

Unknown

Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?

Unknown

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown

What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?

Unknown

What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?

Unknown

Please specify cost savings

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

Type of fund(s) used

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Business models

Green densification model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)

5. Innovation

Type of innovation

Social

Economic innovation

Novelty level of the innovation

Unknown

Please specify novelty level of the innovation

unknown

Replicability/Transferability

Unknown

Please specify Replicability/Transferability

unknown

6. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Water management and blue areas

Improved stormwater management

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Description of environmental benefits

The building uses solar panels to generate renewable energy and it plans to collect rainwater for irrigation, thus reducing the strain on the drainage system of the buildings (stormwater management).
The expected impact of the rainwater collection system is planned to lead to more sustainable water consumption and less strain on the drainage system. As the construction continues, the project is moving closer towards its goal of creating green areas the size of 15 tennis courts. (Reference 2)

Economic impacts

Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)

Attraction of business and investment

Description of economic benefits

The construction of the building and its surroundings will provide employment to nearly 6000 people, and after it is completed, 12 000 people are expected to work there. (Reference: 6)
The projects have also already attracted food services and companies to their office buildings. (Reference 2)

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts

Achieved impacts

Indicators

In 2019, the project was given BREEAM Communities pre-certification. It received the "Outstanding" and "Excellent" pre-certifications that are used as an indirect indicator of the expected impact of the development (Reference 5). The BREEAM sustainable development rating system focuses on 9 fields, including management, health and wellbeing, energy, transport, materials, waste, land use and ecology, pollution and innovation (Reference 5).

The development project is being designed for getting BREEAM Outstanding as well as the Well Platinum certification that are used as an indirect indicator of the impact of the development (Reference 2). The BREEAM sustainable development rating system focuses on 9 fields, including management, health and wellbeing, energy, transport, materials, waste, land use and ecology, pollution and innovation (Reference 5).
The Well standard focuses on the health and well-being in buildings focusing on seven concepts, like air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, mind and innovations. (Reference 2)

Environmental, social and economic impacts

Water management (SDG 6)

Stormwater and rainfall management and storage

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Improving mental health

Improving physical health

Economic development and employment (SDG 8)

Economic development: service sectors

Real estate development

Employment/job creation

Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)

Sustainable consumption

Analysis of specific impact categories

Job creation: The NBS created ...

Paid employment positions

Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?

No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project

COVID-19 pandemic

Unknown (in July 2020)

Methods of impact monitoring

Process of recording NBS impacts

No evidence in public records

Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS

Not applicable

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Impact assessment mechanism

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

unknown

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

No evidence in public records

Citizen involvement

Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment

Unknown

7. Sources

References

Web links relevant to the intervention

Reference 1: Agora Budapest: Épül az új városközpont

Reference 2: Official Website of Agora Budapest

Reference 3: Nagyot dobbantott a HBReavis Budapesten

Reference 4: AGORA Budapest

Agora Budapest - fenntarthatóságból jeles

AGORA BUDAPEST néven épül az új városközpont az Árpád hídnál

Agora Budapest’s journey to success: EUR 140 million loan granted

List of references

1. Epiteszforum.hu. (2017). Agora Budapest - épül az új városközpont. [online] Available at: http://epiteszforum.hu/agora-budapest-epul-az-uj-varoskozpont [Accessed: 19.06.2020]
2. HBReavis.com. (2017). The Official Website of Agora Budapest. [online] Available at: https://hbreavis.com/hu/projektek/agora-budapest/. [Accessed: 19.06.2020]
3. Portfolio.hu, (2015). Nagyot dobbantott a HBReavis Budapesten. [online] Available at: http://www.portfolio.hu/ingatlan/iroda/nagyot_dobbantott_a_hb_reavis_budapesten.215656.html [Accessed: 19.06.2020]
4. Facebook.com (date unknown) AGORA Budapest. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/agorabudapestoffices/ [Accessed: 03.07.2020]
5. hbreavis.com (2019) Agora Budapest - fenntarthatóságból jeles! [online] Available at: https://hbreavis.com/hu/blog-article/agora-budapest-fenntarthatosagbol-jeles/ [Accessed: 03.07.2020]
6. agorabudapest.com (2017) AGORA BUDAPEST néven épül az új városközpont az Árpád hídnál. [online] Available at: https://www.agorabudapest.com/hu/agora-budapest-neven-epul-az-uj-varoskozpont-az-arpad-hidnal/ [Accessed: 03.07.2020]
7. agorabudapest.com (2017) AGORA BUDAPEST néven épül az új városközpont az Árpád hídnál. [image] Available at: https://www.agorabudapest.com/hu/agora-budapest-neven-epul-az-uj-varoskozpont-az-arpad-hidnal/ [Accessed: 03.07.2020]
8. hbreavis.com. (2019). Agora Budapest’s journey to success: EUR 140 million loan granted. [online] Available at: https://hbreavis.com/en/press/agora-budapests-journey-to-success-eur-140-million-loan-granted/ [Accessed: 03.07.2020]