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The Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre (KÉK) is an independent non-profit professional organization founded in 2006 with the aim of opening new perspectives in architectural, urban, and sustainable thinking in Hungary. The objective of the institution is to initiate dialogue about architecture, the connection between built and natural environments, and inclusive community-building both within the profession and beyond, and to operate an independent and open centre that promotes architectural education, awareness, and innovation and sustainable transformative community development among multidisciplinary professionals and the general public. Through its fresh, thought-provoking, and focused programs, relevant also in an international context, KÉK is currently the only internationally acknowledged professional platform representing contemporary architecture in Hungary and has built an extensive international network of like-minded partner organizations.
KÉK organizes a wide range of events that combine participation, complex analysis, and innovative content development, simultaneously engaging local communities and professional fields of design, research, culture, and sustainability. It is an expert in local community activation using innovative and creative placemaking and community-building methods. Furthermore, they pursue long-term activities such as operating community gardens and analyzing and developing areas with the involvement of local communities. Besides hosting public and professional activities, their headquarters function as a co-working space, event venue, and gallery, where they conduct training, internship, and mentoring programs.
KÉK has extensive experience in implementing national and international collaborative projects in the fields of local community engagement, sustainable community transformation, participatory methods, and eco-activism. Relevant project experience includes PLAY/ACT, an Erasmus+ project that builds on the "New European Bauhaus" initiative and aims to create awareness among young people that they are active agents of citizenship and urban and social transformation and encourage them to seek solutions to community challenges through placemaking methodologies. DANURB (Interreg) is a regional network-building project fostering transnational cultural ties between the settlements along the Danube through tourism and education to strengthen the “Danube” cultural identity and solidarity. Tájtéka connects and builds a dialogue between local entrepreneurs, tourists, and communities in the Balaton region in Hungary to promote intelligent land use, sustainable lifestyle, intergenerational cooperation, adaptation, and modernization. Come in! (Interreg) mobilizes citizens and fosters civilian power and community and urban stewardship through raising awareness towards the values of built heritage to decrease social isolation.
KÉK operates with a team of 35 people, among them architects, project managers, urbanists, social activists, landscape managers, designers, community developers, adult education experts, rural development experts, policy advisers, financial experts, communications, and marketing experts. It is led by a curatorial team and also works with more than 300 volunteers and activists.
Project role
KÉK will be the project leader responsible for the overall management and implementation of the project – it will coordinate the consortium’s work, monitor and evaluate project progress and results, manage risks, provide financial management, lead communications and dissemination, and coordinate with the EU regarding reports and grant agreement compliance. It will also take a lead role in developing the research methodology, organising project events in Hungary (training, workshop, eco placemaking), delegating participants to the hackathon and visual storytelling event, and developing and coordinating the final town hall event.
Project Activities
In Hungary, project activities will focus on Komárom-Esztergom County, which is located in the North-Western part of Hungary, in the Central Transdanubian region, and situated on the south bank of the Danube. The county has 1 urban county, 11 towns, 3 large villages, and 61 villages. The local economy is built on the automotive sector, logistics, chemical sectors, energy production (including renewables), natural resources extraction, and food production. It is highly vulnerable to drought, water loss, air pollution, and soil degradation. The county has a long-term climate strategy, which is a good starting point for widespread strategic planning and collaboration, however, as the strategy itself emphasizes, while the level of climate awareness among the county population is adequate, participation and active engagement is low. This is why grassroots initiatives, sensitization, empowerment, and involvement of local people on issues of local relevance in the preparation of climate change decisions are very important in Hungary.