Metropol by BEEF Architekti: Reviving a Modernist Landmark in Bratislava

Located on Mickiewiczova Street, adjacent to Bratislava’s Medická Záhrada and Americké Námestie, the Metropol building is a key urban artifact within the city’s 20th-century architectural history. Initially designed by Slovak architect Juraj Tvarožka in the early modernist period, Metropol was conceived not as a private residence or office building but as a space for collective social experiences. Its basement once housed a cinema, fostering cultural gatherings and reinforcing the building’s role as a communal hub in the urban fabric.

Metropol Technical Information

• Architects¹: BEEF Architekti
• Location: Mickiewiczova 2256/18, Bratislava, Slovakia
• Gross Area: 559 m² | 6,017 Sq. Ft.
• Completion Year: 2024
• Photographs: © Lenka Némethová

With Metropol, we wanted to return the building to its original social role, reimagining it as a contemporary space for communal living that reflects both historical continuity and present-day housing needs.

– BEEF Architekti Architects

Metropol Photographs

Metropol Architectural Strategy and Coliving Concept

Today, the building’s adaptive reuse repositions it at the intersection of heritage and contemporary housing needs. The ongoing housing crisis in European cities has catalyzed the return of non-ownership models, particularly cooperative housing and co-living. In this context, the transformation of Metropol into a coliving space serves not only as a spatial adaptation but also as a cultural one. It underscores how buildings with a legacy of public engagement can be reinterpreted for a new generation of residents while maintaining their historical ethos.

BEEF Architekti’s intervention is rooted in a critical understanding of contemporary housing challenges, particularly the rising unaffordability of urban real estate. Rather than treating coliving as a novelty, the project recognizes it as an evolution of historic communal housing forms adapted to contemporary lifestyles. The programmatic layout of the renovated Metropol accommodates 19 residential units of varying sizes, complemented by shared amenity spaces on the ground floor. These include a communal kitchen, a laundry room, and a social lounge that revives the building’s former function as a site of collective activity.

Each apartment is designed with a strong emphasis on spatial efficiency and comfort. The smallest units measure 16 square meters, suitable for individuals or short-term tenants, while the largest units extend up to 35 square meters, offering more generous accommodations. The layouts reflect a commitment to flexibility, recognizing the shifting typologies of domestic life. Open-plan arrangements enhance the perceived volume of each unit, while bathroom partitions in translucent glass blocks allow for light diffusion without sacrificing privacy. These elements articulate a spatial language that is at once modest and precise, prioritizing livability over aesthetic spectacle.

Materiality, Interior Language, and Preservation

The architectural strategy for the interiors respects the building’s original material expression while integrating a restrained palette of contemporary finishes. One of the defining gestures is the exposure of the original ribbed ceiling slab, which had been previously concealed. Its rough texture and linear articulation reintroduce a modernist clarity that links the building’s past with its current use. Similarly, retaining the iconic blue-framed windows provides a visual anchor to the building’s identity, preserving its urban legibility while allowing for reinterpretation.

Material selections inside the apartments reflect a deliberate neutrality. The dominance of beige and gray surfaces serves as a flexible canvas, inviting personalization by the residents while maintaining coherence across the shared spaces. Warmth is introduced through wooden flooring, which adds tactile contrast and depth. Metal elements in a matte finish inject a subtle industrial undertone, counterbalancing the wood’s softness and the wall finishes’ minimalism. Custom furniture constructed from laminated particle boards and soloist panels achieves functional specificity without resorting to excess.

Metropol Plans

Metropol Image Gallery

About BEEF Architekti

BEEF Architekti is a Bratislava-based architectural studio founded by Rado Buzinkay and Andrej Ferenčík, both graduates of STU Bratislava, TU Wien, and ETH Zurich. Specializing in housing, their work spans from interior design and family homes to broader urban contexts. It includes projects across Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

Credits and Additional Notes

1. Authors: Rado Buzinkay, Andrej Ferenčík, Peter Baroš