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Hünnebeck delivers 35,000 m² facade scaffold for Budapest’s shopping mall

35,000 m² of facade surfaces have to be scaffolded on the new Corvin Atrium, a shopping center in the heart of Budapest. This is an extremely, above all logistically challenging task that has been entrusted to the Hungarian Hünnebeck subsidiary by STRABAG MML. Along with the supply of 20,000 m² of Bosta 70 and Bosta 100 frame scaffolds, the company is also responsible for the punctual erection and dismantling of the working and protective scaffold structures enclosing the entire exterior of the new shopping mall.

"There aren’t many companies capable of handling such a complex scaffolding job,” exclaims Csaba Kocsis, General Manager of Hünnebeck Hungaria, who is proud of his latest landmark project. An extremely tight schedule, huge quantities of materials and flexible assembly and dismantling are the distinguishing features of the scaffold erection task on the Corvin Atrium, currently the biggest inner-city project in the Hungarian capital. The building project is scheduled for completion by the end of the year. From then on, some 150 retail outlets on four floors and a large food & drink area will be attracting customers.

Until then, there’s plenty to do. The varied facade jobs, for instance, have been underway since May. Glass surfaces are being filled, brick facings erected and facade panels fitted – to name just some of the tasks. For all of the in most cases concurrent activities, Hünnebeck has to erect the up to 33 m tall working and protective scaffolds by the required date. The scaffold erectors will have scaffolded a total of 35,000 m² of facade surface by December – and some of these structures will have been modified in the meantime and adapted to the differing needs of the various trades.

However, this is no problem for the experienced scaffold erectors and the scaffold materials employed. The Bosta 70 frame scaffold system, for instance, is considered a classic working and protective scaffold for most tasks in the finishing trades. The 70 cm wide system in load class 3 features a maximum permitted live load of 200 kg/m². It complies with DIN 4420, DIN EN 12810 and DIN EN 12811 and – just like its big brother Bosta 100 – has a general permit from the building supervisory authorities.

This means that, technically and safety-wise, both classic scaffolds conform without reservation to the new German Equipment and Product Safety Act of 2004 as well as the tightened-up Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health of 2002. This is ensured above all by a special handrail securing the erection and dismantling of the top scaffold lift. Safety benefits that are also appreciated by the Hungarian construction market. As is the extra-easy assembly of the two Bosta scaffold systems that can be flexibly adapted to varied conditions with the aid of sensible system components (e.g. extension brackets, adjustable base jacks, different vertical frames, system bridges, roof edge protection etc.).

So, as far as scaffold erection is concerned, the Atrium project in the heart of Budapest is in good hands with Bosta. Much more complex and a major undertaking is the logistical planning that determines when, where and how the total of 20,000 m² of required scaffold materials is supplied and shuttled about within the site. Good planning, a flexible and efficient scaffold supplier and ongoing close coordination between project management and the scaffold erection crew are essential for the success of the now initiated final phase of construction on the Corvin Atrium.