The KRAFT Project now can enter in the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence.
A New Approach to Heritage Preservation and Town Development
The KRAFT project, implemented by IASK, received a Special Award at the 24th Hungarian Real Estate Development Excellence Awards in 2022.
The Hungarian Real Estate Development Excellence Awards have been organized since 1997 by the Hungarian Chapter of FIABCI, the Paris-based International Real Estate Federation, which is represented in more than 60 countries worldwide. The competition is supported by Hungary’s leading professional organizations and by the ministry responsible for the sector.
Each year, submitted projects are assessed by a distinguished international and Hungarian jury comprising approximately 18–20 Hungarian and an equal number of international professionals.
The projects recognized through the Hungarian competition represent an exceptionally high professional standard. Winning projects are entitled to enter the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence, one of the world’s most prestigious international competitions celebrating outstanding real estate development.
Although KRAFT was awarded in Hungary in 2022, it was unfortunately unable to participate in the international competition at that time. The existing Masterplan category was too narrowly defined to accommodate a project of this kind, which goes far beyond conventional approaches to urban planning and development.
At the initiative of the Hungarian Chapter of FIABCI, the category has since been broadened. As a result, KRAFT can now enter the newly established Masterplan and Town Development category.
KRAFT – More Than a Real Estate Development
KRAFT occupies a truly distinctive position among contemporary real estate development projects.
At first sight, the 2022 project might appear to be primarily the restoration of five historic listed buildings. Such a programme would, in itself, constitute a significant achievement. Yet KRAFT represents something much more profound.
The sensitive restoration of a historic monument, the discovery of its original architectural elements and their careful revival are undoubtedly remarkable accomplishments. Giving a historic building a new, viable and meaningful function can add another important dimension to such a development.
Hungary has, fortunately, seen many outstanding examples of heritage restoration, in which historic buildings have been successfully transformed into valuable settings for hotels, residential uses and cultural institutions.
KRAFT goes beyond this established model.
It represents a new level of thinking in both heritage preservation and town development.
The essence of KRAFT is not simply the restoration of historic buildings. It is the comprehensive and integrated development of Kőszeg, based on the interaction and mutual reinforcement of the town’s historical, cultural, educational, tourism and artistic heritage.
The programme seeks to revive the traditions and intellectual heritage of the past while creating the physical and institutional environment in which they can evolve and flourish in the future.
This approach strengthens the significance of the entire town. It contributes to a higher quality of life for local residents, stimulates economic development, strengthens Kőszeg’s tourism appeal and creates the foundations for the town to emerge as an important centre of education, research and the arts.
From Local Heritage to Regional Development
A further strength of KRAFT is that its vision extends beyond the administrative boundaries of Kőszeg.
The development of the surrounding area is an integral part of the programme. This involves not only the active involvement of the communities, institutions and assets of the wider region, but also the creation of new regional connections and networks.
In this sense, KRAFT is not merely a development project. It is a model for integrated, knowledge-based and heritage-driven town development.
It is an innovative approach that reflects the tradition of creative and forward-looking Hungarian thinking. If there were a Nobel Prize for this particular field, KRAFT would certainly deserve consideration as an example of the kind of innovative thinking such recognition seeks to celebrate.
Why Kőszeg – and Why KRAFT Can Be Replicated
Kőszeg is, in some respects, an exceptional setting for the implementation of the KRAFT concept.
With its rich historical heritage and strategic location on the Hungarian-Austrian border, the town experienced a particular form of isolation before the political transition in Central Europe. Its border location placed it at a disadvantage and contributed to a considerable development gap.
This very history, however, makes Kőszeg an especially meaningful place in which to demonstrate the potential of the KRAFT approach.
At the same time, KRAFT is not limited to Kőszeg.
Its methodology and principles can be adapted to other historic towns facing similar challenges: towns possessing valuable heritage but seeking new economic, cultural, educational and social functions capable of connecting their past with their future.
Taking KRAFT to the International Stage
Recognizing the wider significance of the KRAFT programme, the Hungarian Chapter of FIABCI is committed to promoting it internationally.
Our conviction is that KRAFT represents far more than the success of a single development project. It offers a potentially transferable approach to the revitalization of historic towns and to the creation of sustainable development based on heritage, knowledge and community.
This international dimension has already begun to take shape.
During the FIABCI Congress in Singapore, Professor Ferenc Miszlivetz, Director General of IASK, presented the KRAFT project to several hundred real estate development professionals from around the world.
The presentation generated considerable interest. Following the event, the FIABCI Presidency invited the Hungarian Chapter to organize a professional programme in Hungary.
In response, we organized a comprehensive professional event in which the KRAFT project was presented in detail to international participants, including members of the FIABCI Board of Directors who were meeting in Budapest.
KRAFT was also presented during the meeting of the Presidents of FIABCI’s European chapters in Budapest.
These international encounters have reinforced our belief that every effort should be made to give KRAFT broad international visibility and to encourage the development of similar integrated town-development programmes in other countries.
KRAFT – A Living and Continuing Programme
Importantly, KRAFT did not end in 2022.
The programme has continued to evolve. The renovation of the former MÁV Children’s Home, a large complex that had remained vacant, has now begun.
The approximately 8,000-square-metre building, together with its surrounding 8-hectare park, is planned to become an International Campus – a centre for local, regional and global research.
The development will add a new dimension to the KRAFT concept, creating a place where education, research, culture and international cooperation can interact.
We hope that this development will enable Kőszeg to emerge as an important centre of education, research and culture, while further strengthening its regional and international role.
Ultimately, the ambition of KRAFT is not simply to restore buildings.
It is to restore connections – between past and future, heritage and innovation, the town and its region, local communities and the international world of knowledge.
That is what makes KRAFT more than a successful real estate development.
It is a model for the development of historic towns.