Natural History Museum in Debrecen

The project proposes a new Natural History Museum in Debrecen that builds up the connection between the city and the landscape of the Great Forest. Located along the urban axis linking the railway station to the forest, the proposal transforms the site into a new cultural destination within the city. Rather than an isolated building, the project establishes the Nagyerdei Cultural Park, reorganizing existing cultural and recreational institutions into a coherent public landscape connected by pedestrian routes and open spaces. Within this framework, the museum acts as the central cultural landmark and spatial anchor of the park. A landscape promenade guides visitors from the city toward the forest through gardens and open spaces before reaching the museum, prioritizing pedestrian, bicycle and public transport access. Architecturally, the building emerges from the landscape as a continuous ramp structure with exhibition spaces embedded beneath green surfaces and a large roof. This approach blurs the boundary between architecture and nature, transforming the museum into a topographic element that gradually opens toward light‑filled public spaces overlooking the forest.

Programme : Museum
Location : Hungary  
Client : Hungarian State  
Architect : Albert de Pineda, Jaime Batlle, Diana Carbonell, Davide Lorenzato, Ignacio Arizu
Local Architects : Napur Architects
Team : Julian Wagner, Robert Pohle, Elisabet Aguilar, Laura Thomson, Cristina Zehe, Mikhail Dosovitskii, Vuk Kljajic, Megan Struga, Nia Shikharulidze
Dates : 2025
Surface : 23.000 m²  
Status : Competition