RTL’s new downtown headquarters receives class “A” energy performance certificate following renovation by WING
2024-05-23
Liget Center Auditorium, a 70-year-old listed building renovated by WING, has been given rating “A” for energy performance. The highest level of energy modernisation is almost unique among historic buildings in the Hungarian office market. WING installed the most energy-efficient systems possible in Liget Center Auditorium, taking into account the characteristics of the monument, the ESG aspects and the special technological needs of RTL Hungary, and thanks to the reconstruction, the building, which has a modern architectural value, was reborn as a nearly zero-energy building.
The renovation of Liget Center, as part of a WING development, continues to progress according to schedule, and Liget Center Auditorium has reached an important milestone: it has been given rating “A” for energy efficiency and rating “A+” for CO2 emission efficiency during its renovation. WING’s main mission is to preserve the values of the complex Hungarian modernist architecture that defines the image of Budapest, and to do so in a sustainable manner. Liget Center Auditorium has not been used since the 1980s and its condition has deteriorated considerably. Following the exemplary renovation and change in function, the historic building will be home to the news directorate and news and infotainment studios of RTL Hungary, while the adjacent Classic building will be used for office purposes of RTL's business areas. From summer, the facilities will serve as RTL’s downtown headquarters for the media group’s 500 employees.
“Increasing the energy efficiency of our buildings and switching to modern, environmentally friendly technologies has been our goal for a long time in our office developments. However, Liget Center Auditorium is the first office building developed by WING where we have turned a more than 70‑year‑old building into a nearly zero-energy building. It is extremely rare in the Hungarian office building market for a listed building to meet all energy efficiency criteria after renovation, so we are particularly pleased that we have managed to obtain rating “A” for Liget Center Auditorium” – said Gábor Angel, Deputy CEO of WING Zrt responsible for offices.
In the renovation of Liget Center Auditorium, the entire heating and cooling system was installed with cutting-edge heat pump equipment. The developer provided the windows and doors with 3 layers of glazing and thermal insulation. Thermal insulation layer was also added to both the roof and the facades, and state-of-the-art LED light sources were installed.
The ESG-aspects and sustainability is always a priority in WING’s developments: one of the group’s long-term goals is to measure the energy consumption of buildings, with up-to-date data recording and analysis. Furthermore, WING aims to modernise facilities that waste gas and electricity, and to develop more and more energy-efficient buildings, with a focus on present-day requirements and tenants’ needs.
Liget Center Auditorium is redesigned by TIBA Architects Studio, while the general construction is carried out by WORKUP, a specialised division of FITOUT Zrt.
