“After last year’s success, once again we had the opportunity to come up with a new version of a pop-up park,” says Dávid Ráday, co-founder and architect at Hello Wood. “With this project we also build a community. We enjoy using design to give new function to abandoned public places,” he adds.
This novel layout certainly breathes new life into Városháza Park, a cobblestoned square in the heart of Budapest. This underused space should now fill with life as it grants its sun-splashed territory to this creative pop-up park, available to anyone to take advantage of its recently built amenities, free of any admission charge.
The Hello Wood carpenters, in collaboration with the Budapest City Council, have reintroduced this popular retreat by adding more animated settings now extended across an even wider area.
“The curved design is still there, but the waves are now wilder and the fittings more colourful,” Ráday continues. “This year, we also increased the number of benches and added more plants. With more space and more greenery, an extra helping of affection was put into this project.”
Plenty of playfully rounded structures are open for outdoor picnics, reading or sunbathing. Others might retreat to the park and set up alfresco offices near any of the ten available solar-powered charging stations installed around the artful benches. Precisely angular tables add a playful touch with multi-coloured paint and chessboards mounted on top.
Then there is also ping-pong and a Teqball court for a game developed here in Hungary to combine elements of table tennis and football. A new street-workout park with a rubberised base also feature. Triangle-shaped tarps provide shade by day, colourful bulbs spread light and good vibes come nightfall.
Palm plants and olive trees add a Mediterranean touch to this contemporary Central European feature that should become a coveted retreat within the heart of town in the months ahead.
