TSPC Group’s experts, Károly Bélafi, Head of BIM Specialist Division, and Andrea Tóth-Lovrity, Lead Architect, provided a comprehensive technical tour of the Dorothea Hotel to Anthony Frausto-Robledo, an architect, publisher, and Editor-in-Chief at Architosh. Discover the challenges TSPC Group and its partners faced and the innovative solutions they implemented in this extraordinary project below.

The Dorothea Hotel, a stunning addition to Budapest’s architectural landscape and part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, stands as a testament to the technical expertise and innovative approach of TSPC Group. This five-star hotel, located in the heart of Budapest, seamlessly blends historic preservation with modern luxury, showcasing the unparalleled capabilities of TSPC Group in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and advanced technical solutions.

A Heritage Project with Modern Challenges

The Dorothea Hotel is a complex of three historic buildings—the MAHART House, the Weber House, and the Münnich House—each constructed in different periods of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These heritage structures, with their unique architectural elements, presented significant challenges in balancing modern Marriott standards with the preservation of historical integrity.

Andrea Tóth-Lovrity, project lead architect at TSPC Group, highlighted the complexities of working with heritage buildings: “Because the Dorothea is a heritage building, there were many things in the specifications that were hard to manage, like the heritage columns, many walls, and the beautiful plaster balustrade system up in the library.” Tóth-Lovrity emphasized that Marriott’s comprehensive technical specifications, spanning over 1,000 pages, required innovative solutions when standard items could not be met due to the project’s historical nature. In such cases, TSPC Group delivered alternative solutions that met both Marriott’s standards and the project’s heritage preservation goals.

BIM: The Backbone of the Project

The Dorothea Hotel’s success is rooted in TSPC Group’s advanced BIM execution. The project’s complexity, with three buildings of varying floor levels and heights, demanded a rigorous BIM process from design to construction. Károly Bélafi, Head of BIM Specialist Division at TSPC Group, explained the challenge of unifying these staggered levels: “The Dorothea combines three structures from different eras, each with varying floor heights, so one challenge was presenting these staggered levels on a unified plane.”

To address this, Bélafi leveraged the flexibility of Archicad, TSPC Group’s primary BIM platform. By assigning property values to each slab and using mathematical functions, Archicad automatically calculated elevation differences across the buildings. “If I am putting a dimension on a slab in the Münnich building, Archicad can automatically calculate the differences in the levels based on what reference that slab was assigned and on what rules I gave it,” Bélafi noted. This innovative approach simplified what would have otherwise been a daunting task.

Advanced BIM Workflows and Tools

TSPC Group’s expertise in BIM extends beyond Archicad. The firm practices full Open BIM workflows, allowing seamless collaboration between disciplines using best-of-breed software. Bélafi explained, “I don’t feel that real ‘closed BIM’ exists. There will always be some part of the building that we have to plan that requires a different set of tools.”

For the Dorothea Hotel, 27 separate discipline models were federated for coordination in Solibri, where clash detection and quality assurance checks were performed every two weeks. During construction, the general contractor used Dalux, the world’s fastest BIM viewer, while TSPC Group utilized Graphisoft’s BIMx application for on-site navigation. “When we were on site, BIMx was very good for maneuvering through the building,” Bélafi said.

To manage the project’s long schedule and shifting requirements, TSPC Group developed a sophisticated dashboard tool using Microsoft Power Query and Power BI. This tool transformed data from Archicad into actionable insights, accelerating decision-making and saving time and money. “The system adds communication, accelerates decision-making, improves focus, and ultimately saves both time and money,” Bélafi added.

In-House Expertise and Collaboration

As an integrated firm with in-house architects, structural and MEP engineers, fire safety planners, and interior designers, TSPC Group excels in interdisciplinary collaboration. “What’s unique about our company is we have all the different disciplines [of planners]—not just architects—in-house,” Bélafi said. This integration eliminates communication barriers often seen in BIM workflows, enabling a smoother and more efficient process.

The Dorothea Hotel marked a milestone for TSPC Group as the first project where fire safety engineers worked directly within the BIM model. Additionally, the firm’s collaboration with Milan-based Lissoni & Partners was facilitated by a custom Python script integrated into Archicad, which automated translations between Hungarian and English. “So this would mean that when we updated a view according to a rule, the view would update all the words according to a customized translation list that compared Hungarian and English words,” Bélafi explained.

Technical Innovations and Sustainability

The Dorothea Hotel’s centerpiece is its breathtaking atrium, featuring a massive skylight and glass facades. To ensure thermal comfort and energy efficiency, TSPC Group conducted advanced computer simulations to test eight different model versions. “Analysis showed external shading and insulated glass, along with natural ventilation without mechanical ventilation in the summer, were most effective in both reducing energy consumption and avoiding overheating,” Tóth-Lovrity explained.

A Unified Masterpiece

The Dorothea Hotel is more than a luxury destination; it is a harmonious blend of history and modernity, made possible by TSPC Group’s technical superiority and innovative BIM solutions. From managing 31 different levels across three buildings to coordinating 27 discipline models, TSPC Group demonstrated its ability to tackle complex challenges with precision and creativity.

As Bélafi aptly summarized, “It offers many ways to modify its functionality, extend it, or integrate with other software.” This flexibility, combined with TSPC Group’s in-house expertise and commitment to Open BIM, sets the firm apart as a leader in the industry.

The Dorothea Hotel, praised as the “new pearl of Budapest,” stands as a testament to TSPC Group’s technical prowess and dedication to architectural excellence. It is a project that not only honors Budapest’s rich history but also sets a new standard for heritage preservation and modern luxury in the hospitality industry.