Palazzo Dorottya located centrally in the heart of Budapest, 100m from the banks of the Danube.  This mixed-use development in a historic 19th Century building, offers 85 premium quality apartments arranged over 5 levels together with 3,700 sq.m of luxury office and retail space within a period retained facade. 

The building encloses a vast landscaped courtyard with entrances from Dorottya Street and Apaczai Csere Janos Street. Underneath the courtyard atrium is a fully restored hall, retaining all the historical architectural features that will form the stunning centre point of the retail space. 

The construction work for the building required the complete restoration of the historical details for the facade and all internal areas including the existing staircases.  Restoration in many places involved removal of the architectural features, reconstruction of the features offsite and replacement into the rebuilt building shell. This approach to restoration was necessary whilst the building was structurally restored. Extensive structural facade retention and internal building support frame work was provided to allow the complete removal of the existing floors in order to construct six levels of underground car parking, together with new floors and service cores incorporating new staircases and lifts. 

Roman Walls uncovered during the excavation works for the underground car parking have even been restored and retained as an historical feature in the car park. 

buildfifty5 was involved from project inception. We provided management and professional construction services in every stage of the project including pre-construction feasibility studies and construction advice, selection of contractors and Forms of Contract for the construction, restoration of the historical features, construction of six-level underground car parking, retail works, office fit out and apartment delivery. Buildfifty5 provided continued strategic local management in Budapest on behalf of the Development Company including authorisation of capital expenditure. Services extended to full time management to facilitate the completion and handover of all apartments. 

The scheme was completed in 2009. In 2011 leading Law Firm Baker Mackenzie took all the commercial space. Buildfifty5 negotiated the Fit-Out contract and then Project Managed as the Client, a 1 million Euro Fit Out. 

In 2012 buildfifty5 and Nagy Trocsanyi successfully defended a 10m euro claim through the Hungarian Courts.  The prime reason for the legal success was defined by the Courts as “the way buildfifty5 had administered the Contract and the proactive way they supported the Contractor and the Project”. We offered solutions to problems encountered by the Contactor and Consultant support if the Contractor chose to use it. The court judged that we went beyond the realms of what was deemed reasonable, to support the Contractor in delivering the project.  The judgment was to dismiss the claim and awarded our Customer costs.