Budapest, Hungary
Duna Arena
Duna Arena
The outstanding performance of Ultra Ariostea high-tech ceramics was selected for the flooring in Budapest’s Danube Arena (Duna Aréna, in Hungarian), an Olympic swimming pool and sports centre built for the 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships (14-30 July 2017).
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With five pools, 14,500 seats in the stands and a total of 46,000 sqm, the aquatic centre is central Europe’s biggest swimming pool, and represents Hungary’s biggest government investment in sports infrastructure in the past 30 years.
With five pools, 14,500 seats in the stands and a total of 46,000 sqm, the aquatic centre is central Europe’s biggest swimming pool, and represents Hungary’s biggest government investment in sports infrastructure in the past 30 years.
A project featuring record-breaking figures and times, built by Market Zrt, a developer and general contractor with years of experience working in Hungary, to plans by Napur Architect Ltd. (architects Marcel Ferencz and György Détàri and interior designer Gábor Szokolyai).
Market Zrt works on the cutting edge of construction technologies and is growing rapidly, having built more than 600 buildings in over twenty years (including the new Groupama Arena stadium for the historic Ferencváros football team) and winning several national awards: the Budapest Architectural Award (2002 and 2007), six Construction Industry Awards between 2004 and 2012, and the prestigious Workplace of the Year award in the category for large Hungarian enterprises.
With its mission focusing on continual technical updating, safety in the workplace and a focus on the environment (with certified sustainable policies), Market Zrt took charge of this major project in 2015, after Guadalajara (Mexico), which had originally been awarded the Championships, withdrew, making way for Budapest.
Work on the construction of Duna Aréna, originally planned for the 2021 World Aquatics Championships, had to be shifted forward several years as a result of this change of plan. A particularly delicate and risky construction project because of its strict schedule, completed by Market Zrt in a record-breaking 20 months, in compliance with the instructions of FINA (the International Swimming Federation), which supervised the construction of the pool.
Work on the construction of Duna Aréna, originally planned for the 2021 World Aquatics Championships, had to be shifted forward several years as a result of this change of plan. A particularly delicate and risky construction project because of its strict schedule, completed by Market Zrt in a record-breaking 20 months, in compliance with the instructions of FINA (the International Swimming Federation), which supervised the construction of the pool.
The building now plays an important role on the urban landscape in Budapest, standing out with its wavy aluminium sheeting paying homage to the waters of the Danube, symbol of the city. Ultra Marmi Ariostea maxi-slabs, chosen for their technical performance and aesthetic vigour, fit perfectly into the context of this wide-ranging project also including temporary installations, which were then converted for the facility’s current everyday use as a public pool.
A project characterised by big numbers and international breadth, the architectural and technical features of which include a 30,000 sqm swimming pool area; a height of 44 metres terminating in a patio with panoramic views over the city; and a sophisticated Angel Eye monitoring system for verification of the athletes’ movements and errors at critical points. Gris de Savoie grey from the Ultra Marmi collection is the Ariostea material selected, guaranteeing impermeability, stability and efficacy, especially in buildings subject to heavy mechanical stress and pedestrian traffic.
Gris de Savoie offers just the right blend of innovation and traditional elegance, thanks to its sober yet sophisticated colours, crossed by original white veins irradiating into slightly darker areas.
A refined aesthetic choice for the flooring in the Duna Arena, obtained with the aid of Ultra Ariostea maxi-slabs, underlining their innate brightness in big open spaces where there is plenty of natural and artificial light.