Közti Zrt. And Hamburg C Kft. can jointly design the new downtown campus of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE), which will be located in the 8th district, which is able to be built on the territory of the former building complex of the Hungarian Radio - writes MTI.

Balázs Fürjes, State Secretary for the Development of Budapest and the Budapest Agglomeration, Chairman of the Judging Committee announced on thursday: the new campus will be built by 2026, bordering Pollack Mihály Square, Szentkirályi Street, Múzeum Street and Sándor Bródy Street.

PPKE's new campus will be built in the heart of the Palace District, in the  bordered by Múzeum Street - Pollack Mihály Square - Bródy Sándor Street - Szentkirályi Street (Photo: Facebook page of Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes)

He said eleven entries has been received for the competition and the first place winner has been selected unanimously by the jury. The contractor will also be selected in a public procurement in the European Union, said Balázs Fürjes.

He stressed that the new campus will be designed and built in multiple collaborations. The state and the Hungarian Catholic Church have agreed to implement a new campus open to everyone through government funding. After that, to prepare the plans the collaborated with the capital and the 8th district.

Visual design of the new building (Photo: Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes's Facebook page)

The Secretary of State said that the area behind the Hungarian National Museum was defined by three historic buildings, and that it was important to “free” the Pollack Mihály Square from the captivity of excessive construction after the legacy of “behemoth socialist” urban planning. The new complex of buildings was specifically expected to be “modesty and humility” so that they would not dominate the 19th century buildings, he added.

The side facing Mihály Pollack Square (Photo: Facebook page of Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes)

Balázs Fürjes emphasized that it was very important for city dwellers and students to have a green, friendly, interoperable, airy community space. The new campus will be organically connected to the building of the university's Faculty of Law and Political Science in Szentkirályi Street.

The new block of buildings and the existing palaces will be connected to each other (Photo: Facebook page of Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes)

Zoltán Erő, the chief architect of Budapest, a member of the judging committee, said that PPKE started its operation in Piliscsaba with a campus in an agglomeration area, and after the construction of the new building complex, it will move to the center of Budapest. Thanks to the investment, the area between Kiskörút and Szentkirályi Street will be passable and walkable, he pointed out.

This is how the interior will be (Photo: Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes's Facebook page)

He highlighted that the winning entry fulfills all the ideas that were expected. Zoltán Erő also pointed out that there was a point left in the discussion, that the jury is proposing a minimum number of parking spaces for the area due to the good approach to public transport, while the planning program includes two hundred parking spaces.

Géza Kuminetz, rector of PPKE, said that the university faces serious opportunities and tasks: they have arrived at the gates of building a “unified” campus. The award for the winning project was received by Zoltán Tima, chief designer, on behalf of KÖZTI Zrt., and Gábor Kruppa, chief designer, on behalf of Hamburg C Kft.

Visual design of the new campus (Photo: Facebook page of Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes)

Balázs Fürjes also reported on his Facebook page that the office building of Dorottya Udvar in Újbuda, the SkyCourt and T2B pier of Liszt Ferenc International Airport, and the renovation of Kossuth Square are also due to Zoltán Tima. Gábor Kruppa, “lover of stone and brick”, may also be known for the renovation of the Art Nouveau architectural works in the 5th district, Gresham Palace, he wrote.

The Secretary of State also said in a post that nearly 4,000 students and then 500 faculty owrkers will be given a new home on the campus to be built. The new campus will be “comfortable” in all life situations. They are building a family-friendly university, with baby-mom rooms on most floors. There will also be a fitness center, gym and gym. A dormitory with about 200 places will be built for boarding students, he wrote.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: Plan of PPKE's new campus (Photo: Facebook page of Secretary of State Balázs Fürjes)