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Forty-two architectural firms have submitted valid entries for the design of the new campus of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary in Ferencváros, Budapest’s 9th district.
The jury selected the winning entry from the 35-year-old Archikon Architects, writes Magyar Nemzet. Budapest’s new university campus is planned to be built in a traditionally Reformed neighborhood of Ferencváros, in the quarter between Ráday street and Üllői road.
The campus is planned to be built in the area around Markusovszky Square, with state and church funding.
The new campus will be home to the Faculty of Law and Political Science and the Institute of Psychology, which will be open to almost 2,500 students at a time.
The Reformed Church in Hungary‘s aim in submitting the tender was to identify creative contemporary designs for the university campus in the spirit of tradition and renewal.
The designers’ task was to design a 21st century university building and public space of high architectural quality. The new building will be characterized by sustainability, environmental awareness and Reformed restraint, which would reflect the mission of the Church and its openness, and would fit into the Ferencváros district, be in harmony with the district’s urban plans and serve the people of Ferencváros well.
Photo via LinkedIn/Károli Gáspár University (official page)
Archikon Architects has been recognized in recent years with prestigious national awards such as the Architizer A+ Award, the BigSEE Award, and the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Award. The firm’s outstanding work has been selected as one of the best European projects by the jury of the EU’s most prestigious architectural awards, the EUMiesAward and the Piranesi Award.
At the announcement of the results of the design competition, Professor László Trócsányi, Rector of Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, stressed that the new campus will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of the university. He emphasized that
the university always strives to promote quality and community, and considers it important to do so in the field of infrastructure development.
Krisztina Baranyi, mayor of the 9th district, said: “It is no exaggeration to say that Ferencváros is a university town.” According to her, the new university campus will be a dominant building complex in Inner-Ferencváros, requiring that its design is integrated with Markusovszky Square, the only public park in the district. The Mayor of Ferencváros believes that the winning design shows real architectural promise.
Photo via LinkedIn/Károli Gáspár University (official page)
The Reformation and the founding of schools went hand in hand throughout Europe, including Hungary. Archikon Architects’s winning design integrates the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church not only in a global sense, but also in a local sense. It preserves the original structure of the Tobacco Factory, playing an important role in the local architectural and industrial history and was immortalized by Ferenc Molnár in The Paul Street Boys. The inner part of the park and the façade open to Üllői road, the arcades and the landscaping will also reinforce the link.
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via LinkedIn/Károli Gáspár University (official page)
