Tenants of the office building called Markó Irodák 9 (MI9) will enjoy an inspiring environment with its galleries, trendy “visible engineering” structures and natural lighting. The unique and varied 2,630 m2 floor area of the 5-floor building – two of which come with a loft – is tailored primarily to meet requirements of creative workshops, start-up companies and other undertaking taking an up-to-date approach in general.

Vacant plots have become few and far between in downtown Budapest during last ten or so years since the economic crisis, therefore real estate developers have been increasingly focusing on refurbishing or converting existing buildings to meet 21st century requirements. This is what has also happened to Markó street 9, a building of outstanding architectural values, looking somewhat like office blocks to be found in many places of the US.

This Art Deco building, constructed in 1930 as an electrical substation for the district called Lipótváros, is now under national protection as a historical monument. The project entitled Markó Irodák 9 was launched three years ago with the aim of keeping the transformer building’s impressive form and style, while creating up-to-date interior design and fit-out inside with new functions. Instead of fixed “office cells” an inspiring environment has been created in the whole of the building, relying on its existing, special spatial structure. The wide variety of spaces, their access to natural light, the lofts, green terraces and sunrooms equally contribute to the playfulness of space.

“The key values of the building include its mass, its facades and their relative proportions. Therefore, the key aspect of its restoration was – in addition to meeting tenants’ requirements and with due respect to the designer’s concept – to maintain its original character. Instead of making compromises as required by the fact that the building is categorised as a historical monument, along with other technical considerations, the architect utilised the given structural solutions and relevant circumstances in highly ingenious ways” – said, Erzsébet Kőszeghy, head of real estate management, representative of the real estate developer company.

The sophisticated Category “A” office building is to be found in the middle of downtown Budapest (in the heart of the 5th district), an attractive location that is easy to access, in a prestigious area, amidst administrative, public and commercial institutions. The building was even home to a bank office for some time, and now it is home to one of Budapest’s modern private safe box rental facilities with a separate entrance (2 vaults with 900 safe boxes). Prospective tenants will also benefit from high-quality building engineering systems, in which for instance energy saving solutions are guaranteed by the heat pump with high heat recovery system. Another unique feature of MI9 is that one can actually walk around the building, i.e. it has large windows opening onto the outside space on each side – most of them facing the internal yard – letting natural light stream through across multiple levels. Thanks to a beautiful coffered structure this creates a modern, yet classical appearance. A quick charging station for electric cars has been installed in the yard and one of the entrances has been converted to be suitable for use by disabled persons as well.

Thanks to its trendy interior design ideas MI9 is an ideal home for businesses with a modern attitude (e.g. creative workshops, consulting and high-tech companies) as well as start-ups, but it is also makes an excellent centre for any international company or a company seat for Hungarian businesses.

Markó Irodák 9