Csapody Máté

Architecture MA
supervisor
Molnár Bea
masterwork consultant
Hámori Péter
masterwork opponent
Beke András
thesis consultant
Antalóczy Tímea
thesis opponent
Bán Dávid
masterwork

Mars Square

In my masterwork I explore how Mars Square in Szeged can be freed up with the bus terminus being moved away and the square losing this function. The square is divided into four quarters: most of its area was covered by the concrete surfaces of the bus and car parks, and there were a busy market and an outdated discotheque on the other two quarters. However, the most important element is the bus station built in 1865. The main pillars of the programme are the need for attachment, getting closer to nature, handcrafts, and a desire for knowledge. The tools used to achieve these include practical knowledge (workshop, educational garden, community garden); theoretical knowledge (specialist library, reading room, lecture space, workshops) and the large public park, where several functions can be present and blended. The semi-underground car park determined the positioning of the community garden, which turns towards the park and the university with graded terraces. A wood workshop, a ceramics workshop, a textile workshop and open access classrooms support the visitors of the community garden and the square in learning and knowledge sharing. To meet new needs, I put a gastro market to replace the discotheque, which means it can be a venue of social life not just at night, but all day. In the centre of the community park is the building of the bus station, which is now used as a community lounge. The headhouse is also the knowledge centre of the square with workshops, an educational garden, and the specialist library of the community garden. It’s the venue of lectures and workshops, and a popular meeting place of the locals. With the creation of a multigenerational community space, the Mars Square in Szeged can be relieved.
thesis

Public transport and architecture

What makes an abandoned bus stop attractive?

Every period tries to serve the people the best way in can and strives to solve the problems it is facing. The research shows a tendency of bus stations being moved to the outskirts of the cities and tramways becoming more widespread. For long distance passenger transport, buses and, for the most part, trains are used. Creating connections and intersections on railway routes is a forward-looking solution. Stops rarely have a distinctive identity, often they are spaces for temporary stay, devoid of emotions. As opposed to this, repurposed station buildings are filled with history, memories and connections.
Buildings that are mementoes of their time must not be destroyed merely for profit, without thinking. They are distinctive parts of their environment, and without them public spaces would be emptier, and, many people think, would be less valuable.