A major renovation project has begun at the BKV bus depot in Kelenföld, where the roof structure of the maintenance hall is being replaced. The new water and thermal insulation will not only help preserve the building – which is designated as an industrial heritage site – in the long term but its energy efficiency will also improve. The work is expected to be completed by the end of this year, operations at the facility will continue uninterrupted during the renovation.

Renovation works have begun on the nearly 9,000-square-meter roof structure of the iconic maintenance hall at the Kelenföld bus depot. Specialists are carrying out demolition and construction work simultaneously: they are removing the insulation from the roof shell-like structure – which consists of eight domes – and, at the same time, installing new insulation on the sections that have already been demolished. The last major renovation of the assembly hall in this nearly 90-year-old building took place in the 1980s. Since then, the waterproofing has deteriorated, leading to increasingly frequent leaks, which made the complete modernization necessary. As a result of this investment, the technical condition of the industrial heritage-protected building can be preserved in the long term.

The work has been organized in such a way that does not disrupt the depot’s day-to-day operations; the bus depot continues to carry out its operational duties throughout the construction period. The Kelenföld Bus Depot is one of the key bus depots for public transport system in Budapest. On weekdays, 143 buses depart from the facility, primarily to serve South Buda and several key downtown routes. The garage also plays an important role in maintaining BKV’s fleet of heritage vehicles.

Sustainable Future

Following the renovation, the building’s energy consumption may decrease thanks to more modern thermal insulation, making its operation more cost-effective. The company has implemented numerous energy-efficiency improvements in recent years. Among other things, the number of installed solar panel systems have been in operation is constantly growing, resulting in annual cost savings of tens of millions of forints for the company. A solar park also operates at the Kelenföld Bus Division, which covers approximately 9% of the site’s energy needs, and the electricity generated is also used to charge buses.

Architectural Curiosity

The Kelenföld maintenance hall is a unique work of Hungarian industrial architecture. The reinforced concrete shell structure, consisting of eight arches and shaped like an elliptical paraboloid, was considered an exceptional  engineering achievement worldwide in the early 1940s, as a column-free hall of this size had never been built before. The plans were designed by architect Jenő Padányi Gulyás and structural engineer Dr. István Menyhárd. The building was declared an industrial heritage monument in 1997.

BKV Zrt.
June 17, 2026