Budapest is getting ready to create a lush peninsula in the Danube

Architects have unveiled plans to create a new “island neighbourhood” in the heart of Budapest.

International design firm Snøhetta won the chance to transform the 135-hectare site, which is set to provide housing and facilities for some 12,000 students.

The nearby River Danube will lie at the core of the design, with architects creating two water-filled channels that will turn the area into a peninsula. While many of the city’s river banks are inaccessible and dominated by flood control barriers, water levels close to the new neighbourhood remain relatively stable — allowing planners to embrace the waterside. Some of the shoreline will also be transformed into wetlands, accessible only by foot or on bike.

“Our design proposal focuses on identity, diversity and sustainability,” says Patrick Lüth, Managing Director of Snøhetta Studio Innsbruck. “The location next to the river helps to create both a public urban waterfront as well as a naturalized shoreline and wetlands. Budapest South Gate Peninsula can be developed as showcase for a diverse and sustainable city of the future.”