New Addition to A38 Boat Opened22 November 2010
Almost three hundred tonnes of steel, glass and iron structure – encased in a streamlined snow-white building: the cultural project which took almost one and a half years was completed on 16 November 2010. The inauguration ceremony marked the opening of a new exhibition and concert hall in Budapest, a floating structure attached to the A38 event boat anchored at the Buda end of Petőfi bridge. The project, which was partly financed with a HUF 300 million non-refundable support from the Central Hungary Operational Programme, contributes to reinforcing the role of the A38 boat as a key cultural centre of Hungary.
In contrast to the original A38 boat, the new space was not created through the conversion of an existing boat, but an entirely new “floating device” was built whose form recalls one of the most ancient river transport vehicles, the barge boat. The structure, almost fifty metres long, eleven metres wide and four metres tall with a draught of about 60 centimetres, is reached from the A38 boat, through its entrance, and waterbuses and small boats can also dock beside it. Four bridges connect the bodies of the A38 boat and the new barge boat, one of which provides safe access for wheelchair visitors, too. Inside the object the space facing the water has the greatest emphasis. This main space is used for exhibitions, film showings, lectures for smaller audiences, and multimedia creations can also be displayed here.
The A38 Boat was opened on 30 April 2003 and over the past seven years it has become a major cultural centre of Budapest. Since its opening the boat has become too small: the almost two thousand cultural events held in the past seven and a half years have shown that expansion can no longer be postponed. The management wanted to extend first of all the range of cultural events the patrons were already accustomed to (concerts, music festivals, jazz, world music and contemporary light music events).
During its seven-year history the boat, which was first developed as a civil initiative, has hosted thousands of cultural and art events, concerts, festivals, theatre performances, book launchings, exhibitions drawing more than one hundred thousand visitors. The inevitable result of this great popularity was that the boat “outgrew” its capacity, and the “building”, which was converted from a Ukrainian barge and which also earned an award for excellent interior design, simply became too small. The continuously expanding programme listings and the ever newer cultural services (for example, professional audio-visual recording of the events) made it imperative to enlarge the A38 boat.
The central element of this ambitious project is a floating structure docked beside the existing boat which, thanks to its unique interior design (movable walls, spaces that can easily and quickly be converted to fit any purpose, etc.) has become a real multi-functional space. This space is eminently suitable for exhibitions, scientific symposiums, educational events and performing arts events alike. Besides, the floating device also plays an important role in the public transport of the capital, with special regard to Danube shipping.
The new multi-functional hall is not simply a new art gallery in Budapest. It is planned to be closely linked to the cultural and artistic activities of the A38 boat. It was an important consideration in building the new structure that it house a big, integrally related and complex series of events.