MONTGOMERYCHOI
19 W HARGETT ST STE 305
RALEIGH NC 27601
HI@MONTGOMERYCHOI.COM
919 609 0519
INSTAGRAM
A MUSEUM ON THE LAWN

BUDAPEST HUNGARY
CULTURAL
2014

WITH SHOP ARCHITECTS
The Liget Budapest design competition called for the design of a National Landmark that would house two distinct cultural institutions sited on Budapest’s beloved City Park(Városliget). Each of the institutions(New National Gallery, The Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art,) prescribed a specific set of technical requirements, providing a complex design challenge, while the task of designing a large, monumental structure that could  exist harmoniously within the lush landscape of the park appeared contradictory. As a part of SHoP Architects’ competition team, Will developed the design proposal that was one of five proposals shortlisted among 500 anonymous entries.    

The proposed design solution eases the tension between the park and the building by lifting half of the building’s program on piers, and pushing the other half below ground. The result is an illusion of a building delicately hovering over the park, allowing the park to freely move through unencumbered. 

The complex requirements of each institution is alleviated with a grid-like parti, with each square rotated slightly to connect to the next corner-to-corner, allowing the institutions to maintain visual proximity but spatial and technical separation. The rotated masses are collected together within a glass shingle rain screen, becoming camouflaged as it reflects the park and its ever changing colors.



WORK


LAB



WHO




WE PRACTICE ARCHITECTURE BECAUSE WE LOVE CITIES
ELIZA MONTGOMERY is an architect, urbanist and native of downtown Raleigh.

Her experiences living and working in New York City over 12 years have given her both passion and expertise in solving complex architectural and urban issues. Prior to founding MontgomeryChoi, she was an Associate at Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) in NYC for 7 years. There she designed a range of cultural, institutional and mixed use projects around the country and world. But her true passion lies in extending her design skills past the traditional field of architecture.

Eliza co-leads the Rethinking Refugee Communities project, a collaboration with Ennead Lab and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that addresses the growing and protracted crises affecting the lives of refugees and their host communities. She's visited, analyzed and designed refugee settlements around the world including in Rwanda, Jordan and Nepal and has lectured extensively on the subject. Eliza has taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute and has led design workshops for multidisciplinary participants at The New School and other organizations.

Eliza is a registered Architect in North Carolina and New York. She is a Fellow at the Urban Design Forum in NYC. Eliza has a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Bard College.

WILL CHOI is an architect with a keen interest in the link between the shapes of our cities and the shapes of our communities. 

Through a decade of practice working with internationally recognized offices such as Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and SHoP Architects, Will designed and led projects in urban centers around the country that fostered his appreciation for the way buildings may transform the surrounding communities, but more importantly, how communities may transform the design of the buildings, and ultimately cities. 

Will has held faculty positions at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, and maintains a passion for teaching. He can often be found serving as an invited juror at various institutions, including Columbia University, NYU, and NC State University. Will is a registered architect in North Carolina and New York.

Will holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Design from University of Florida, but considers his best education the life lived hopping around great cities. That’s Seoul, New York, Boston, and of course, Raleigh!



CONTACT

HI@MONTGOMERYCHOI.COM

919 609 0519

OFFICE

19 W HARGETT ST SUITE 305

RALEIGH NC 27601 

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