On 28 April 2025 at the Osaka Expo 2025, in the Hungarian Pavilion Dr. Viktória Sugár Vice Rector of Obuda University for Sustainability and Strategic Developments, lecturer of the Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering introduced together with Prof. Michihiro Kita, Professor of Architectural and Urban Design of Osaka University, Board Member of Graduate School of Engineering, Senior Advisor to the President, and Board Member of Osaka University Press - their book: Historical Tenements of Pest.

Dr. Viktória Sugár and Prof. Michihiro Kita, have a joint research relationship of more than 15 years, within the framework of which architecture students from Osaka University have visited Budapest several times, where they held joint workshops, surveys, exhibitions on the architectural and cultural heritage of Inner-Erzsébetváros together with students of the Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture. The further development of the topic and the complex energetic rehabilitation of the aforementioned area became the topic of Viktória Sugár's doctoral dissertation, which she defended at Osaka University in 2020. The typology-based research of apartment buildings and the idea of publishing the book was born at this time.

Without tenement houses, the inner districts of Budapest and other major Hungarian cities would hardly possess the unique atmosphere we associate with them today. These apartment blocks, constructed in large numbers around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, not only provided homes for the people who settled here but also stood as a testament to the city's evolution, reflecting both the architectural ideals and social conditions of the time.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the architectural and historical significance of tenement buildings, highlighting their key characteristics and values worth preserving.

The book aims to provide a valuable and professional overview in a richly illustrated format to identify the values of tenement buildings, their conservation, and potential future modernization. It can serve as both a handbook and a textbook for architects, decision-makers, investors, and all those who feel a responsibility for preserving Budapest’s distinctive built heritage.

The programme is funded by the Ministry of Construction and Transport.