Another super high tower block to be built in Budapest – a new trend emerging?

The height of MBH Bank’s planned new headquarters in Budapest’s XIII district could reach 90 metres, making it the second tallest office building in Budapest after the much-discussed MOL Campus, which opened last year. However, if all buildings in the capital are taken into account, this height would put MBH’s headquarters in ninth place.

The Economx reported that banking market leader Magyar Bankholding (MBH) could be granted permission to build three towers for its headquarters, with the eastern tower at 90 metres, the central tower at 78 metres and the western tower at 65 metres. The site, located at the Buda end of Váci Avenue and the Árpád Bridge, will be home to reinforced concrete and glass office buildings for dozens of multinational companies.

The construction of a classic tower block used to be forbidden in Budapest

After the change of regime in 1989/90, Budapest opted to preserve its traditional European urban character, thanks in particular to the then chief architect, István Schneller. During the Socialism, a few skyscrapers were built, such as the Semmelweis Medical University building on Nagyvárad Square (SOTE NET – 88 m) and the slab tower of the Pension Fund Administration (73 m), which disturbed the harmony of the city, with height limits of 55 m and 30 m, towering over the Hungária Boulevard and the protected parts of Buda.

Read also: The mesmerising view from Budapest’s tallest building

However, Csepel-Sziget would have been exempt. The idea of a high-rise Csepel-Manhattan was finally abandoned in 2009. After years of political and professional debate, the owners agreed to a spectacular development on the tip of Csepel Island. The Csepel-Manhattan project would have seen the development of the 175 hectares of pristine land. But in the end, the economic crisis nipped the project in the bud. Budapest remained without a true super high tower block until the construction of the Mol Tower in 2022.

Read also: Have you ever heard of the Manhattan of Budapest, Csepel?

The world’s skyscrapers now aim for 1000m

There is no universally accepted definition of the size of a building that qualifies as a skyscraper. A skyscraper is a building for residential or other everyday use that stands out significantly from the surrounding buildings. In this sense, Budapest already boasts a number of skyscrapers.
While Philadelphia’s City Hall was the world’s tallest building at 167 metres in 1901, the current tallest, the Caliph Tower in Dubai, towers 828 metres above its surroundings. Also under construction in the super-rich oil city is the Dubai Creek Tower, which at 1,345 metres will be even taller than Hungary’s highest peak, Kékestető (1,015 metres).

Tallest buildings in the Hungarian capital

Portfolio has collected the tallest buildings in Budapest. The list below contains the 10 tallest residential, office and commercial buildings in Budapest. In brackets are the districts where the buildings are located.

Mol Campus: 143 m (XI.)

SOTE NET – Nagyvárad Square : 88 m (VIII.)

HQ of the National Institute for Pension Payments: 73 m (XIII.)

Water tower house: 71 m (XV.)

Schönherz College: 67 m (XI.)

Agora Tower 65 m (XIII.)

Roundhouse: 64 m (II.)

Europe Tower: 64 m (XIII.)

Duna Tower: 62 m (XIII.)

 Kassai Square tower block / National Police Headquarters: 60-60 m (XIV., XIII.)

If we look at structures instead of buildings, this includes transmission towers and towers used for storing various materials.

Chimney of MVM North Buda Thermal Power Plant: 216 m

Széchenyi Hill transmission tower: 192 m

Száva Street transmission tower: 154 m

Former chimney of Kelenföld Power Plant (now disused): 146 m

Mol Campus: 143 m

Újpest Power Plant chimney: 122 m

Chimney of the Budapest Waste Utilisation Plant: 120 m

Parliament: 96 m

St Stephen’s Basilica: 96 m

SOTE NET: 88 m

Whichever list you look at, it is clear that Budapest is not characterised by skyscrapers. However, with the construction of the MOL headquarters, it looks like this could change.

One skyscraper is rarely the only one that remains for long, it is almost always followed by another. In cities where there is a concentration of economic power, such as London or, closer to home, Vienna, the skyline is completely transformed within a decade or two.