Premier Kultcafé

Project

269857

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS : existing completed examples

Project title

Premier Kultcafé

Full project title

Description

The first sentence from the description of the institution: What makes Gyurci happy? His work. Premier Kultcafé is Europe's largest disabled-friendly community and cultural space, with a café, bakery, cinema and a barrier-free event hall with a variety of activities. A cultural plaque in the spirit of acceptance and inclusion. An integrated workplace where people with disabilities also work.

Where was your project implemented in the EU?

When was your project implemented?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Which programme(s) or fund(s)? Provide the name of the programme(s)/fund(s), the strand/action line as relevant and the year.

Please provide a summary of your project

The Adopt a Teddy Bear Foundation was founded in 2012 by the founder Mari Törőcsik, Actor of the Nation and Róbert Kárász with the aim of supporting the social integration of people with disabilities by creating jobs. In Hungary, only 15-20% of people with disabilities are employed, and the foundation wants to change this proportion. That’s why the Premier Kultcafé, the café, community and cultural center where we provide jobs for people with disabilities, has been created, supporting their independent living and integration into society. Our goal is to encourage employers to employ employees with disabilities and to support the realization of an inclusive society by forming attitudes. Every year on December 3, World Day of People with Disabilities, the foundation organizes a charity auction where public admirers ’favorite childhood teddy bears and personal items are auctioned off at a grand gala. The proceeds will be used by the foundation for its job creation program and support for people with disabilities. Since 2012 almost 200 athletes, actors, performers, musicians, businessmen and leading politicians also joined the initiative.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met

For the purposes described above, the Premier Kultcafé was implemented with the support of the landlord of the area, the design and construction profession. All participants participated in the project with significant financial contributions and, of course, maximum professional knowledge. The downtown cinema, which has not been operating for some time, has been designed on the way that we can transfer as much architectural and material value as possible in its new function. As the Cult Center is also attached to cinema as a result of the work of the founders, the place and its spirit were especially valuable to them. Both cinemas were retained by transforming the large hall into a multifunctional space. We were able to keep everything in the small room, we managed to save the wall and ceiling coverings in the large one, while this hall was completely renewed too. By dismantling the suspended ceiling in the central space of the place, we regained the original ceiling height and made the original structures of the building visible. In the thus conserved space, focusing on the functions, we inserted only the most necessary elements, so we came to a versatile, well-divided, but flexibly usable space. Needless to say, the building is completely barrier-free. With this re-user approach and the principle of minimum to maximum, we have succeeded in achieving the efficiency and environmentally friendly implementation of construction. Its sustainability in the social sense is determined by its function. The institution's work on the social integration of people with disabilities is exemplary throughout Europe.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met

With the principle of minimum to maximum mentioned earlier, which is also characteristic of the use of materials and solutions in the construction, the functional design provided a very good basis for shaping the character of the place. The geometric elegance of the space line, complemented by the foundation’s colorful, cheerful and infinitely optimistic character, gives an accurate picture of the founder’s spirituality. The color-contrasting, varied, completely barrier-free and, if necessary, well-lit spaces thus weave beauty and functionality into unity with their natural appearance. The main purpose of the design was that whoever uses the house or comes into contact with the foundation should enjoy the time spent here just as naturally as a guest, a person working here, a person with a disability or not.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion and how these have been met

We can repeat the answer to one of the first short summary chapters: The Adopt a Teddy Bear Foundation was founded in 2012 by the founder Mari Törőcsik, Actor of the Nation and Róbert Kárász with the aim of supporting the social integration of people with disabilities by creating jobs. In Hungary, only 15-20% of people with disabilities are employed, and the foundation wants to change this proportion. That’s why the Premier Kultcafé, the café, community and cultural center where we provide jobs for people with disabilities, has been created, supporting their independent living and integration into society. Our goal is to encourage employers to employ employees with disabilities and to support the realization of an inclusive society by forming attitudes. The goals described above are still being achieved today with the same faith, devotion and active support.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

The Premier Kultcafé is Europe’s largest disability-friendly community and cultural space with 620 m2 of cafés, bakeries, cinemas and a barrier-free event hall. It is an exemplary project not only in Hungary, but in the whole of Europe. It is a particularly important commitment because it has a prominent role in social sensitization. It is not just a place, but an approach that gains ground through the devotion of the creators and theirs visible social activity. By these activities its reputation reaches those too who do not get here in person.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project

The project was launched by the Adopt a Teddy Bear Foundation, which promotes the social integration of people with disabilities. It has a fundamental impact on the lives of people and communities. It helps people with disabilities and helps users stay inclusive. With this goal, this foundation achieved that all participants, starting with the state, through the municipality that owned the property, could bring the Premier Kultcafé to life with the financial support of construction participants and suppliers.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project

The innovative strength of the project lies in social responsibility. The social integration of people with disabilities, which takes place not only in words but also in deeds in the existence and activities of the Premier Kultcafé, has made this place an exemplary point of reference.

Please explain how the project led to results or learnings which could be transferred to other interested parties

The best way to pass on experience and knowledge is to visit the place and to live how well beautiful goals work in reality. You will see how easily the strong intentions of a couple of good people can be scaled up and how much this effort put in by participants means to those involved - this kind of asymmetric cost-benefit ratio is a replicable and follow-up example. The attached photos faithfully reflect the location. In March 2016, through social collaboration, the Adopt a Teddy Bear Foundation opened Europe’s largest disability-friendly community, cultural and entertainment complex, Premier Kultcafé, on the site of the old Vörösmarty cinema. The 620-square-foot property also houses a café, a renovated movie theater and an event hall. By hosting your event with us, you support the Adopt a Teddy Bear Foundation and support the expansion of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The rooms accessible from the foyer are excellent for corporate events, conferences, exhibitions, small theater performances and concerts, but also for family events and film screenings (up to 35mm format). Our institution is characterized by complete technical readiness: modern sound and light technology, built-in projection screen, internet connection. The site is easily accessible and all of the premises are barrier-free.

Is an evaluation report or any relevant independent evaluation source available?

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the Awards more than once under the same category and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.