ARCAD Shopping Centre, Budapest

Árkád Bevásárlóközpont

In Budapest, almost everyone in the city has their favourite shopping centre where they also like to spend a lot of their free time: boutiques and electrical goods stores in one, central location offer a chance for window-shopping, while the many cafes, smoothie stalls and restaurants are popular hangouts to meet friends and acquaintances.

Project data

Renovations (ARCAD 1) and expansion (ARCAD 2): 2012 to 2013

200 shops, cafes and restaurants on three floors

Overall space to let: 68,000 sqm

Visitor parking: 1,600

SCHELL products: PETIT SC self-closing wash basin tap, LINEAR ECO WC operating panels, WC cistern installation modules, EDITION urinal operating panel, COMPACT II urinal installation module

ARCAD was one of the first shopping centres built after the fall of the Iron Curtain in Budapest. Since 1990, new shopping malls have opened almost on an annual basis in the capital city. Over 20 years later, however, ARCAD was starting to show its age. Neither the layout nor the fixtures and fittings were able to meet contemporary standards. Accordingly, extensive renovations were started in 2012. This also included building extension work completed by the Hamburg-based shopping centre specialist ECE, whose previous projects can be found all over Europe – such as in Berlin (Potsdamer Platz Arkaden), Vienna (BahnhofCity) and Basel (Stücki Shopping).

Together with the existing building complex, around 68,000 sqm of space can now be leased in Budapest since the reopening in January 2014. According to the centre’s management team, ARCAD is today one of Hungary’s biggest shopping destinations.

In the redesigned sanitary facilities, sanitary fittings from SCHELL not only provide a visual finishing touch but also some key technical features. On the medium-sized wash basins, arranged in rows, the compact and exceptionally robust PETIT SC wash basin tap was installed. This premium, all-metal fitting offers automatic self-closing functionality (SC = self-close). The softest of pressures on the button with the palm of a hand activates the flow of water, which stops automatically after the pre-programmed time. PETIT SC is very convenient for shoppers to use, since the durable flow regulator in the outlet provides a soft and voluminous flow of water.

In the WC and urinal cubicles, the COMPACT II WC cistern modules and urinal roughing-in sets were used for pre-wall installation. These two installation modules have a ‘plug-and-play’ pre-assembled water path as well as a SCHELL cistern with ready-prepared connections and integrated isolating valve. With most components already preconfigured, installation is straightforward, reliable and very timesaving.

The COMPACT II roughing-in set can be completed with various ready-to-install sets for flush triggering. For ARCAD, the building planners selected the Edition E urinal electronics so users could avoid having to press a flush button. This is an important hygiene benefit for visitors, considering the heavy usage of the facilities. The elegant EDITION E front panel is made from tough stainless steel and offers excellent protection against vandalism. This is complemented perfectly by the LINEAR ECO WC operating panels in the WC cubicles. With their premium ‘velour chrome’ (matt chrome) finish, they blend harmoniously into the overall facility decor.