Hungary
The lawn includes water features in the form of 11
jets which are lined up parallel to the glass buildings
and the Gleditschia alley and provide a lively coun-
terpoint to the calm lawn. These fountains form a
regular row at the lawn edge, and the jumping jets
land in pools covered by a grid in order to retain the
spattering water.Materials
The prominent situation of Erzsébet Square, com-
bined with high levels of state investment and a
high political profile, created a tremendous oppor-
tunity for the designers to realise almost all their
ambitions. They were allowed a free hand during
the planning process without any strict financial
limits. In general, very high-quality materials could
be used, which were not only functional, but
also matched the high aesthetic aspirations of the
project. Different areas and places with different
functions were created in a relatively small area,
while the considered use of particular materials and
plants not only ensured that these places were indi-
vidual and diverse, but provided cues to their roles
and functions within the overall creation. The choice
of materials accords with the function of each place
and its connection with the urban pattern. As with
the hard materials, the use of plant materials has
been kept simple, with large masses of plants and a
limited palette of species, to maintain the calm and
regular character.‘The use of clipped green walls, huge flat lawn
surfaces and special colours are characteristic of
the whole open space,’ says the landscape archi-
tect, Zsuzsanna Bogner. ‘Some solitaire ornamen-
tal trees with special foliage are situated on the
terraces, where they act as counterpoints to the
jungle-like planting of the elevated plant boxes.’
(Liriodendron tulipifera, Parrotia persica, Quercus
palustris, Corylus colurna, Cercis siliquastrum.) The
planting used good-quality advanced nursery stock.
The soil depth is 100–200cm for the trees in the
boxes, while it is 20–40cm for the lawn and 60–
80cm for the shrubs.Different paving materials are used in the various
areas of the square, but the diversity of treatments
reflects usage and is therefore not annoying. The
promenade outside and the pedestrian area in front
of the former bus terminal building are covered by
2cm-thick granite stonework. The welcoming area
at Deák Square, the terraces leading to the Hole,
the staircases, and the promenades along the pool
are surfaced with a hard limestone imported from
Croatia. Unfortunately there were some minor
financial restrictions in the last stage of the imple-
mentation, therefore 3cm-thick material was substi-
tuted for the 4cm-thick slabs originally specified. As
could be foreseen, this restriction has caused some
reduction in the quality, since the Croatian lime-
stone did not prove to be sufficiently frost-proof.5.19
Sandblasted glass panel recording significant dates
in the history of Erzsébet Square
5.20
Outer promenade along Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Boulevard