Hungary's first 'green' mall to open in 2012

Developer Wing has begun construction of the first 'green' shopping centre in Hungary . Noah Steinberg, chairman & CEO of WING, and Zoltan Pokorni, mayor of the Hegyvidék district, laid the foundation stone for the centre during a ceremony on 2 June.

Located in Budapest's XII district, Hegyvidék Centre is the first sustainable shopping centre in Hungary and will be topped with an almost 1,000 m² active green roof. Rainwater will be recycled for the irrigation of plants and for use in hand-wash basins and toilet cisterns. Much of the building's hot water will be provided using solar collectors. A bicycle storage facility will serve to promote environmentally friendly transport. Environmentally friendly technological systems are being used during construction with the aim of achieving a 'very good' rating under the BREEAM environmental accreditation scheme.

Hegyvidék Centre is expected to open in autumn 2012.