Tungsram #2: Factory in Circulation – Pop-up Exhibition and Meetup

The detailed program, list of speakers and topics of the roundtable discussions are available on the organizer VárosLabor’s Facebook page: https://fb.me/e/2VGgYuwPW

The event is public, but the site can only be visited along the designated route! Participation in individual programs requires prior registration. Registration link: https://forms.gle/prfU6K7D3BAtgMpY6

The Tungsram factory, which hosts the event, ended its 125-year history in 2023. This immense industrial, intellectual, and architectural heritage lives on within Budapest’s “fabric” in the form of a small city. The traces of the everyday life of 12,000 workers are brought back to life by accumulated objects, raw materials, and buildings – now silently awaiting their future.

We are at a unique moment in time: the factory ceased operation, and no development has yet begun. We are seizing this transitional period to present, through guided walks, an outdoor exhibition, and a mini-conference, not only the Tungsram district and its heritage, but also how Tungsram’s materials, intellectual, and built legacy might be utilized in the future.
We are searching for answers to questions such as: how could we- by using the raw materials on site, integrating intellectual heritage and knowledge, and transforming the buildings? How could we create an urban environment that is liveable and enjoyable for the widest layers of society? How could this become a place that is sustainable in its operation, environmentally and future-conscious, based on circularity, socially integrative, and even economical to build and maintain? How do we continue the Tungsram story? How do we build from it a liveable and loveable neighbourhood that both preserves the values of the past and serves the community of the future?

Take part in this spatial train of thought – through guided walks, professional lectures, exhibitions, and evening programs to gain deeper insight into the layers of reinterpreting industrial buildings. Join us to discover the possibilities and layers of rethinking industrial buildings!

Program:

Pop-up Exhibition and Guided Walk — starting at 14:30
The walk takes place in groups of up to 15 people based on prior registration.
Registration link: https://forms.gle/prfU6K7D3BAtgMpY6

During this walk we will take a “lightning inventory” of the intellectual and tangible heritage of the site. Immersive spatial installations will offer insight into the character of the abandoned factory site and allow participants to experience the work processes that once took place there and connect closely with the everyday lives of those who once worked there.

Roundtable Discussions — starting at 16:00
3 × 30-minute sections

Speakers from different fields will present various environmental, social, and economic aspects of value-based and sustainable real estate development. We will examine what kind of district should be planned for the area, what existing values can be built upon, and how these can be realized with a value-based, environmentally conscious, and socially sensitive approach.
We will also look for answers to what factors hinder such value-preserving adaptive reuse in real estate development in Hungary. During the discussions, we will uncover practically applicable principles, design considerations, and tools that allow an industrial site to function and develop both in the past and in the future. Find the up to date list of presenters on the organizers’ social media channels.

Gallery — starting 17:30

Accompanied by a touch of Tungsram culinary experience, the domestic and international best practices mentioned in the discussions will be projected. Final projects of Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Óbuda University, and Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design students will illustrate how recycling-based (upcycling, adaptive reuse), value-driven, environmentally conscious, and future-oriented design is integrated into university education.

The “shift” is expected to end at 19:00 p.m.

Organisers and designers

Budapest Design Week

Szakál Andrea (architect, VárosLabor, Blokk építészműhely Kft., MOME Doctoral School

Probstner Petra (architect, interior designer, BME- Doctoral School of Architecture, Columbia College Chicago)

VárosLabor (www.varoslabor.hu, LinkedIn, Facebook)

Partners:

Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design – Doctoral School
Budapest University of Technology and Economics – Doctoral School of Architecture
Óbuda University – Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering