Panelház, Ágoston Útca 16, Budapest, 1032 Hungary

Illustration by Andrew Cadey

Panelház, a Hungarian term for a type of concrete block of flats, was the communist era’s solution to the city’s critical housing shortage of the 1950s, due to forced industrialisation.

Consequently hundreds of gray, uniform precast concrete slabs sprung up across Budapest and throughout Hungary. These high-rise blocks came with district heating and hot running water, amenities previously unavailable to many of the residents and offering a real improvement in their living conditions..

Limited first edition print run of 20