OUR HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2023
2023 has been a remarkable year for ABUD — the list of highlights below is far from exhaustive!
As consortium members, we participated in the launch of two new EU-funded research projects, solidifying our commitment to collaborative scientific endeavors. We actively contributed to the scientific discourse through our RDI projects and the publication of research papers. We participated in numerous conferences, workshops, a hackathon and a plantathon! Unprecedented milestones had been reached in the field of green building certifications, advancing sustainable practices. The release of our first ESG report for the year 2022 demonstrates our commitment to sustainability in the industry. See some of our best moments below!
At the beginning of 2023, Etele Plaza became the first facility to receive a BREEAM Very Good certification within the BREEAM International 2009 Europe Commercial Retail category.
We’ve published three articles on Sustainability in Architectural Design Tenders on Építészfórum, exploring how sustainability is represented in high-level design tenders in Hungary.
Three Local Stakeholder Workshops have been organised for JUSTNature Project in Szombathely this year. The workshops focused on co-designing nature-based solutions with citizens and local stakeholders. The overall aim of the EU-funded project is to activate nature-based solutions for a just low carbon transition in our cities.
ABUD had the chance to host StepUP Project’s General Assembly in Budapest on 21-22 March, 2023. Members of 8 institutions met to discuss the developments of the project, which included the progress made at the Hungarian and the Spanish demo sites.
H2Offices obtained LEED Platinum certification in Phase I. ABUD supported Skanska Property Hungary with LEED and WELL consultancy for all three buildings in the design stage, aiming to reach Platinum level within both rating systems.
Source: Skanska
Is it really necessary to construct new buildings? A roundtable discussion about the adaptive reuse of buildings was organised by Építészfórum at Construma on 30 March 2023. Participants included Andrea Szakál of BLOKK Architect Studio, András Dobos of LAB5 architects, and our CEO, Dr. András Reith PhD. The discussion was moderated by Máté Hulesch of Építészfórum.
In June, together with Építészfórum, we organised a conference about nature-based solutions. The event titled REVIVAL: NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR RESILIENT CITIES aimed to highlight the significance and versatility of nature-based solutions (NbS) in urban planning and their potential in climate change mitigation.
CEO, Dr. András Reith PhD was interviewed by Építészfórum, where he shared the history of ABUD and the company’s core beliefs.
BIO4EEB, an EU-funded project researching BIO-based insulation materials for Enhancing the Energy performance of Buildings, kicked off in Cologne, Germany, with 16 consortium partners, including ABUD.
In July, we’ve participated in the XVI. Architect Regatta as bronse sponsors and were extremely lucky to arrive first: the brilliant team of Capella’s 70-foot cruiser crossed the finish line first.
As another summer highlight, the Maglód MG3 Warehouse of HelloParksbecame the first industrial property in Hungary to achieve the highest, Outstanding rating in New Construction category of the BREEAM sustainability standard.
Photo: HelloParks
LEGOFIT Project was kicked off in Istanbul on 12-13 September. The groundbreaking project aims to design, implement and validate an advanced and dynamic integrative approach to accomplish Energy Positive Homes (EPH) based on smart and innovative solutions with a high scalability and replicability for building construction and renovation.
Budapest ONE Offices developed by Futureal Group has been awarded the BREEAM Excellent certifications for both phase II and III of the development. Besides managing the BREEAM certification process, ABUD was responsible for delivering consultancy services and analysis within the conceptual design stage.
Photo © Futureal Group
Placemaking Week Europe, a four-day festival from September 26th to 29th, 2023. The event brought together urban visionaries and practitioners from around the world to explore the future of cities through the lenses of ecology, equity, civic engagement, and place-led development.
We’ve launched our ESG REPORT for 2022. At ABUD, we believe that any business activity is inseparable from those environmental and social systems in which we operate. Whether it’s a small or large company, a business should consciously strive to create value – not only for its customers, but for wider communities, the ecosystem, and for the planet as well.
What does the future hold for the CEE property market? Our CEO, Dr. András Reith PhD participated in the panel discussions about sustainability and the property market at Portfolio Investment Forum 2023.
In mid-November, we had the opportunity to participate in the first “Plantathon” event and participate in planting 20K trees in one day as part of the MOME ZERO program, organised by Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) with the aim of establishing a new forest at Balaton-felvidéki National Park.
Photo: MOME, Máté Lakos
In December, Dr. Adrienn Gelesz PhD, Partner at ABUD presented the paper ‘Residential space cooling behaviour – results from a country-wide representative survey in Central Europe,‘ at BEHAVE 2023, the 7th European Conference on Behaviour Change for Energy Efficiency. The paper was prepared as part of the CoolLIFE research project, in collaboration with three major academic institutions besides ABUD, the University of Szeged, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence, and the University of Pécs, with the participation of such notable experts as Adrienne Csizmady, Lea Kőszeghy, Zoltán Ferencz, Anikó Vincze and and Dr. András Reith PhD.
As we embark on another exciting year, our team at ABUD remains dedicated to advancing sustainable urban transformation and fostering a greener future!
