Budapest will once again become a meeting point for global architectural thinking as the second EDGE Architecture Festival Budapest (EDGE Fest) takes place on June 18–19 at Dürer Kert and in the industrial spaces of Hengermalom.
Organised by ÉpÃtészfórum, the two-day international conference and festival positions architecture not just as construction — but as a response to society, ecology, and technology. This year’s programme promises lectures, discussions and live presentations from finalists of the EDGE Awards, placing debate and experimentation at the centre of the event.
The speaker lineup reflects that ambition. Among the confirmed guests is Winy Maas, co-founder of the Dutch firm MVRDV, known for its bold urban concepts and playful yet strategic interventions. From Mexico, Michel Rojkind, founder of Rojkind Arquitectos, brings a perspective shaped by contemporary Latin American urbanism. Representing Studio Gang, French architect Rodia Valladares joins the discussion, alongside Swiss architect Beat Huessler of Oppenheim Architecture and Andrea Deplazes, professor at ETH Zürich.
Additional speakers include Alicia Lazzaroni and Antonio Bernacchi of Italy’s Animali Domestici, as well as Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg, founders of Space Popular, known for exploring architecture within digital and virtual realms.
The core question of this year’s festival feels timely: what does it mean to build today — and do we even need new buildings at all?
In a Europe grappling with sustainability targets, material shortages and rapid technological shifts, architecture is increasingly political. EDGE Fest aims to examine these intersections — from ecological responsibility to artificial intelligence’s growing influence on design processes and spatial imagination.
The industrial setting of Hengermalom reinforces the theme. Hosting a future-focused architecture event inside repurposed industrial space subtly underscores the debate about reuse versus new construction.
The festival also includes the international EDGE Awards, which spotlight progressive architectural initiatives across five categories: realised buildings, public space projects, experimental or future-oriented work, design responding to contemporary challenges, and — newly introduced — student projects. Finalists will present their projects live, with a jury composed of the conference speakers evaluating them publicly.
This open format suggests transparency and dialogue rather than closed-door recognition.
For Budapest, the festival signals something broader. The city has long balanced its historic urban fabric with ambitious new development. Hosting an event that questions the necessity and responsibility of building feels especially relevant here.
For architects and designers, EDGE Fest offers exposure to global voices. For students, it provides access to international discourse without leaving Hungary. For the wider public, it opens a window into how built environments are being reimagined in response to climate pressure, digital transformation and shifting social needs.
Architecture rarely moves at the speed of technology or politics. Buildings last decades; sometimes centuries. Yet the frameworks guiding them are evolving quickly.
EDGE Fest positions Budapest as a place where those evolving ideas are not just discussed — but tested.
And in a moment when cities everywhere are questioning how and why they grow, that conversation feels not just creative, but necessary.
