Víztoronyház, Modern residential tower in District XV, Hungary.
The Víztoronyház is a twenty-story residential tower in District XV with water tanks in its upper section and two artist residences with studio spaces. The structure combines standard housing with specialized technical facilities within a tall building.
Architects Tibor Tenke and Endre Mentes designed this residential building, which opened in 1975 as part of Budapest's urban expansion. The structure initially served as part of the infrastructure supplying water to the Újpalota settlement.
The nicknames CSÉB-ház and CASCO-ház come from neon advertisements once mounted on the facade, since removed. The two top-floor artist flats, reached by stairs because the lift stops at the 17th floor, remain municipal property and are let only to full-time painters; since 2019 Ágota Krnács has run one as the VTHM – VízToronyHáz.Műterem contemporary exhibition space.
The building is easily visible from outside and recognizable due to its height and technical equipment on the roof. Access to the artist spaces is usually limited to special events or arranged visits.
The water tower at the top worked for only about ten years after the building opened in 1975; technological progress made further operation unnecessary. The tower has since served only as housing, with radio and relay antennas installed on its roof.
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