Projects / 8/4/2025

Between matter and light

From traditional offices to minimalist lofts: the new life of two office spaces in the heart of a historic Hungarian city

In the heart of Veszprém, two office buildings were transformed into minimalist lofts with an industrial style, thanks to Mapei’s Ultratop Loft decorative cementitious system. The project combined textured surfaces, natural light, and contemporary materials. The result is an elegant, functional space resistant to daily wear, perfectly integrated into the historic urban context.

Standing on the hills along the banks of the river Séd, the Hungarian city of Veszprém enjoys a strategic geographical position that has played a vital role in its development since ancient times.

In the summer of 2020, two office buildings overlooking the Old Town Square were renovated and extended. The owner requested a bright, open-plan layout with exposed concrete walls, exposed beams and visible metal elements to recreate a minimalist, industrial aesthetic. The interior design likewise brings together contemporary and classic elements with the aim of blending seemingly contrasting materials, textures and colours.

Surfaces that define the spaces

The industrial style chosen for the newly renovated offices included continuous flooring solutions with a simple, elegant design and a textured effect to emphasise the authentic character of the spaces. With the support of Mapei Technical Service team, the flooring contractor chose to use Ultratop Loft, a cementitious coating system suitable for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. The system is designed to create decorative surfaces with a textured effect, excellent abrasion resistance and low thickness. Mapei provided constant technical support at both sites throughout all stages of the renovation project.

The building’s interiors were renovated by combining contemporary Ultratop Loft cementitious floors with period architectural details.

Decorative floors: a balance between aesthetics and technology

Given the significant differences between the substrates present in the two buildings, the Mapei technical team proposed tailored solutions for each of the two sites. These included consolidating and levelling the existing substrates and laying new controlled-shrinkage screeds using Topcem Pronto and Mapecem Pronto mortars. The surfaces were then primed with Primer SN two-component epoxy primer, which was fillerized and broadcast in excess with Quartz 0.5 quartz sand and, where necessary, reinforced with Mapenet 150 alkali-resistant fibre glass mesh. After careful sanding and vacuuming to remove residual dust, a layer of Ultratop Loft F coarse-textured cementitious paste was applied using a trowel. Approximately 6 hours later, the surface was again sanded and treated with Primer LT to optimize the bonding of the subsequent layer. Ultratop Loft W fine-textured cementitious paste was then applied. Once dry, the surface was again sanded and vacuumed before applying the polyurethane finishing products Mapefloor Finish 52 W and Mapefloor Finish 58 W to ensure effective protection against scratching and wear and to achieve a final matt finish.

After applying the Ultratop system, the floors in the café were finished with Mapefloor Finish 52 W and Mapefloor Finish 58 W. Mapelux Opaca wax was also used to protect the surfaces.

Finally, the floors were further protected with the application of Mapelux Opaca metallic wax to ensure ease of cleaning and maintenance, while the expansion joints were sealed with Mapesil AC highly flexible sealant.

The Ultratop Loft system was chosen for its ability to create elegant surfaces that would blend seamlessly with the original flooring. Combined with the large windows and decorative iron elements, the new surfaces recall the charm of late 19th-century bourgeois apartments while integrating harmoniously with contemporary materials such as glass and concrete.