Judit "ZHJ" Halmágyi, DLA

Z. Halmágyi Judit (1962–2025)

Architect DLA, designer, and urban development expert

Lead architect and principal designer of ZHJ Architects, an independent, satellite-form creative architectural studio.Member of the Architectural Advisory Board of Budapest District 13, and lecturer in architectural design at METU (Budapest Metropolitan University).

She served as an international jury member for several major Hungarian and international design competitions, including the New Danube Bridge, the North Pest Central Hospital, the New Transport Museum, as well as the Great Market Hall and Nyugati Railway Station (BFK) tenders.

Curriculum Vitae

1981–1986Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architectural History (Prof. Csaba Virág).Graduated June 25, 1986.

1986–1994Architect at LAKÓTERV.

1988–1990Participant in the Hungarian Master School of Architecture, Cycle X.

1989–2001Teaching at the Department of Residential and Public Building Design, BME.From 1994, lecturer in both Hungarian and French programs; later thesis supervisor for the English-language master’s program.

From 1991Lead architect and project designer.

1993–1994Following her conceptual studies for the North and South Expo Gates, she was invited to join the ten-member permanent architectural team of EXPO ’96 World Exhibition.

1994Founded the Virág Csaba and Z.H.J. Architectural Office.

1996–2008Hungarian national director and jury member of Europan, the European competition platform for young architects and urban designers.

2000Founded the independent ZHJ Architectural Office.

2000–2001Worked with Lucia Laura Interni / Dóra Fónagy.

2001–presentLecturer at the University of Pécs (PTE), diploma jury member for BA, MA, and DLA programs.

2001–2009Lead architect at EEA Budapest – Erick van Egeraat Associated Architects.

2005–2007Doctor of Liberal Arts (DLA) in Architecture, University of Pécs.Research focus: Architecture (landscape, architecture, interior, design) as an emergent process.

2006–2010Representative of the Budapest Municipality for Urban Development and Urban Aesthetics, responsible for EU project programming, mediator of the European Danube Regional Strategy (EDRS) and the “Barge Beach” initiative.

2008–2010Permanent regional and Budapest delegate of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) in Strasbourg, responsible for culture, construction, and social affairs.

2012–presentLecturer in BA and MA architecture programs at the Budapest Metropolitan University (METU).

Since 2016Associate Professor at METU, Department of Environmental Culture (BA) and MA in Architecture–Interior Design.

Since 2018Hungarian delegate to the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) – Women in Architecture.

2023Exhibited at the Biennale di Architettura, Residuum Exhibition curated by the Ludwig Museum, Hungarian Pavilion, Venice.

International Relations and Teaching

Since 1994, within the framework of BME’s Department of Public Building Design, Judit taught not only 8–12 Hungarian students per year but also the students of five French universities, as part of a deliberate bilingual pedagogical method, in collaboration with the Department of Urban Design.These partner institutions included:

• Versailles (Paris)
• Lille
• Lyon
• Clermont-Ferrand – invited diploma jury member in 2004
• Marseille (Toulouse)

In 1996, at BME’s Department of Drawing, she gave a biannual English-language lecture titled “Introduction to Architecture” and supervised diploma students in the English MA program.

From 1996, she was a jury member of Europan Europe (HU),and between 1998 and 2006, its Hungarian director and permanent jury member.(At that time, the European Secretary was Árpád Szabó, now Head of the Urban Planning Department at BME.)

The results of these competitions were archived digitally at the BME Library and integrated into its educational system, as well as distributed to other Hungarian universities upon request.

Between 1997 and 2007, she regularly participated in all Europan Europe congresses, organized with researchers, universities, city leaders, and real estate developers.

In 2010, she contributed actively to the institutional establishment of Europan Europe in Hungary, and to Hungary’s admission to the Archiprix International network, allowing Hungarian diploma prize-winners to participate biennially.

Between 2006 and 2010, she represented Budapest and Hungary as a delegate in Strasbourg and Brussels within the European Danube Regional Strategy (EDRS).

Since 2019, she served as delegate of the Hungarian Chamber of Architects (MÉK) and the Budapest Chamber of Architects (BÉK) to ACE – Women in Architecture (WINA).The Jump Toolkit project under her supervision was prepared for the 2023 Brussels General Assembly.

Selected International Exhibitions

• 2004 – Dresden, UIA (Union Internationale des Architectes): Hungarian collective exhibition
• 2008 – Berlin, EastFemHack (East Fémina Hacker) exhibition, in collaboration with Erika Pásztor and Dóra Fónagy

Teaching (2016–2022)

Associate Professor at Budapest Metropolitan University (METU).Supervised BA theses and MA projects in collaboration with colleagues Péter Mátrai, Zoltán Kovács, Bea Molnár, Mihály Hefkó, László Gereben, and Adrienn Emresz.

Research Field

Architecture as a creation engaging all the sensesand Architecture (landscape, architecture, interior, design) as an emergent process.

Architectural Philosophy (from DLA dissertation and professional CV, 2007)

“When I began my career, I was primarily fascinated by the constantly changing phenomena of our world—speed, dynamics, and time.My intention was to bring these into balance with the built environment through the shaping of architectural form.Over time, this changed.

I realized that shaping space, form, and time is merely an intellectual game.Every person perceives the world differently, responding to it through their own faith and emotion.

Creation is a continuously evolving process of collective thinking, aiming to bring all complex factors—spiritual and cultural—into harmony.When our teams succeed, the users of our spaces and buildings can sense this balanced atmosphere.

Our goal is to shape physical masses true to our concepts and theories, and to merge spaces with light.We feel our work is fruitful when these results are tangibly perceptible.

This is why I focus on virtuality.If we create something that touches people and makes them feel good, we know we have created something human.

I firmly believe that all this can be realized with the help of 21st-century technology.As a result, I treat technology, architecture, and humanity as one unified system.

Our primary aim in every project is to form the most suitable team capable of achieving the highest design quality and professional standard.This creates evolving, supportive processes in which our clients are always fully involved.

Our work is a continuous journey toward creating a creative, emotional quality of architecture.”

Introduction to ZHJ’s Habilitation Lecture (2022.12.06)

“The Great Masters – Zoltán Szentkirályi and Csaba Virág, professors at the BME Department of Architectural History – profoundly influenced my thinking.Later, through the 10th Cycle of the Hungarian Master School and the European democratic, workshop-like creative method practiced by Erick van Egeraat, I found a new way of thought.

At the urban development scale, the Europan Europe experience led me to a new path and design approach.

This is the Emergent Design Development Method – a belief in interdisciplinary thinking, where Ratio and Emotio exist in harmony.”

Her architectural worldview resonates with Juhani Pallasmaa’s philosophy from “The Eyes of the Skin”,which asserts that true architecture engages all seven senses.ZHJ sought to create within that spirit throughout her career.