The architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has won the international competition to design Hungary's new Natural History Museum, to be located in Debrecen, the country's second largest city. This ambitious project aims to create a harmonious fusion between architecture and the surrounding forest landscape, embodying a sustainable, environmentally-friendly approach.
The museum will span 23,000 square meters and take the form of three intertwined landscaped volumes, emerging from the floor of the Great Forest (Nagyerdő). This organic design allows the structure to integrate seamlessly into its natural surroundings, creating an architectural ecosystem where inside and outside merge.
Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative director of BIG, emphasizes that natural history is a subject so close to his heart that he named his eldest son Darwin. He describes the museum's design as an intersection of paths and lineages, where ribbons of landscape intersect to produce a series of niches and habitats, rooms and galleries, blending inside and outside in seamless continuity.
The solid wood structure, burnt local wood facade cladding and sloping green roofs, planted with native species, blur the boundary between construction and nature. Inside, five permanent exhibition halls and one for temporary exhibitions and events, educational and research facilities and public services are organized around the central hall on the first floor. On the upper floor, the restaurant and library offer spectacular views of the tree canopy.
Particular attention is paid to environmental sustainability and reducing the building's ecological footprint. The museum exploits the thermal mass of the ground and integrates on-site energy systems, including geothermal loops and photovoltaic panels, to ensure a stable indoor climate throughout the year. Rather than simply preserving the site, the building restores and enhances it, regenerating biodiversity while discreetly adapting to its surroundings.
This project is part of the Hungarian government's vision to position Debrecen as a regional hub for education and culture by 2030. The new museum will replace the current institution in Budapest, reinforcing Debrecen's role on the international cultural scene.
In short, BIG's design of Hungary's new Natural History Museum represents a successful synthesis of contemporary architecture and respect for the natural environment, offering a space where science, culture and nature coexist in perfect harmony.
