{"id":408120,"date":"2026-02-04T21:48:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T21:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/408120\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T21:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T21:48:14","slug":"sordo-madaleno-and-epitesz-studio-selected-to-design-new-natural-history-collection-center-in-debrecen-hungary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/408120\/","title":{"rendered":"Sordo Madaleno and \u00e9p\u00edt\u00e9sz st\u00fadi\u00f3 Selected to Design New Natural History Collection Center in Debrecen, Hungary"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sordo<\/a>Debrecen Collection Center project by Sordo Madaleno. Main facade render. Image \u00a9 BsArq<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038436\/sordo-madaleno-and-epitesz-studio-selected-to-design-new-natural-history-collection-center-in-debrecen-hungary<\/p>\n

Sordo Madaleno<\/a>, in collaboration with \u00e9p\u00edt\u00e9sz st\u00fadi\u00f3<\/a> and Buro Happold<\/a>, has been selected to design the 43,000-square-meter New Debrecen Collection Center<\/a> for the Hungarian Museum of Natural History. Debrecen<\/a>, Hungary<\/a>‘s second-largest city, is currently the focus of significant urban and university-related development, including plans to relocate the Hungarian Museum of Natural History from Budapest to the edge of Debrecen’s Great Forest. The proposed Collection Center is conceived as a facility dedicated to the controlled storage and study of more than 11 million objects, drawing conceptual inspiration from traditional Hungarian clay vessels, structures historically used to protect and preserve. The project would mark the first European cultural commission for the Mexican architecture practice<\/a>, which operates studios in London <\/a>and Mexico City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sordo<\/a>\"Sordo<\/a>\"Sordo<\/a>\"Sordo<\/a>\"Sordo+ 8<\/a><\/p>\n

\"SordoDebrecen Collection Center project by Sordo Madaleno. Main entrance render. Image \u00a9 BsArq<\/a><\/p>\n

The site is located within the University of Debrecen<\/a> Science Park, approximately four kilometers from the planned new Natural History Museum building. Informed by research into regional craft traditions and material histories, particularly the longstanding use of clay and earthenware<\/a> for conservation, the design takes the form of an elongated rectilinear volume measuring 141 by 83 meters. Its stratified brick fa\u00e7ade incorporates varying tones that reference Hungary’s geological and material diversity, using soils sourced from different regions of the country for brick production. These variations articulate the building’s monolithic presence, which is intended to relate to the surrounding low-lying landscape and expansive horizons.<\/p>\n

\"SordoDebrecen Collection Center project by Sordo Madaleno. Foyer and exhibition center render . Image \u00a9 BsArq<\/a><\/p>\n

The proposal is organized to support controlled storage, research activities, and the long-term preservation and production of knowledge. The spatial layout spans three above-ground floors and a basement, comprising approximately 28,000 square meters of collection storage, 6,000 square meters of study spaces including conservation laboratories, and a triple-height atrium designed to accommodate visiting student groups and research professionals. Within a top-lit atrium, selected items from the museum’s collection are envisioned for display, forming a gallery space adjacent to lecture halls that could also host events. In workspaces used daily by staff, controlled daylight and ventilation are introduced through internal courtyards to enhance environmental comfort.<\/p>\n

Related Article Forum, Depot, Maze: Toward a Plural Ecology of Museums<\/a> <\/p>\n

Selected from a shortlist of twelve teams, the jury highlighted that the proposal by Sordo Madaleno<\/a>, \u00e9p\u00edt\u00e9sz st\u00fadi\u00f3<\/a>, and Buro Happold<\/a> addresses the functional requirements of a scientific support institution through its spatial organization of storage, study areas, and laboratories, while prioritizing long-term collection preservation and research operations. The jury also noted the project’s attention to sustainability, security, and logistics related to collection handling, positioning the Center as a potential hub for scientific research and international collaboration across disciplines, including geology, paleontology, zoology, human activity, and ecology.<\/p>\n

\"SordoDebrecen Collection Center project by Sordo Madaleno. Visible collection render. Image \u00a9 BsArq<\/a> <\/p>\n

The Center’s staff are stewards of the objects, and the architecture becomes anextension of that stewardship. Within this layered ecology of care, the object isframed not as an isolated artefact but as an embodiment oflife-worlds andlandscapes that nourish reciprocal relationships. Our building reflects this mutuality,providing a space of unity between conservator, stakeholder, architecture, andenvironment. \u2014 Architect Fernando Sordo Madaleno<\/p>\n

\"SordoDebrecen Collection Center project by Sordo Madaleno. Storage of mounted dervertebrate specimen render. Image \u00a9 Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos<\/a>\"SordoDebrecen Collection Center project by Sordo Madaleno. Foyer level 2 render. Image \u00a9 BsArq<\/a><\/p>\n

Other recent developments in cultural architecture include construction updates on Sn\u00f8hetta’s Busan Opera House<\/a>, scheduled for completion in late 2026; progress on Herzog & de Meuron’s Memphis Art Museum<\/a>, expected to open in December 2026; and the start of construction on the Beijing Art Museum in Tongzhou District<\/a> by Sn\u00f8hetta and the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD). Recent openings include the New Museum expansion in New York by OMA<\/a> and a museum dedicated to the science of carbon fiber in Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Italy<\/a>, designed by CRA\u2013Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with the late architect Italo Rota.<\/p>\n