The first phase of the István Street campus development of the University of Veterinary Medicine will begin within weeks, and the renovation of the buildings will be completed in the second half of 2023, the university announced to MTI on Thursday.

They wrote that the construction contract was signed by Péter Sótonyi, the rector of the university, and Attila Paár, the company owner and managing director of West Hungaria Bau Ltd. As part of the net 5.2 billion HUF investment, several of the campus buildings designed by Imre Steindl will be renovated.

The university in 1931 (Photo: FSZEK Budapest Collection)

As the first step of the campus development, the educational units operating in the renovated buildings will be temporarily located in the Rottenbiller and Bethlen Gábor Street parts of the university, which will be renovated to the extent necessary, they wrote. The move is planned for the winter exam period to preserve the continuity of education.

In parallel with these works, public utility development will be carried out, and then the modernisation of the patina buildings B and C will begin, where the interiors and facades will be renovated while preserving the historic values. In the announcement, Péter Sótonyi was quoted as saying that the comprehensive development of the campus, which further strengthens the international role of the institution, is of historic importance for the future of the university. According to the rector, they can attract renowned foreign scientists to Budapest even more effectively if they can offer them conditions that meet the scientific research expectations of the 21st century.

According to the university, the contractor was selected by the University of Veterinary Medicine in an open public procurement procedure from several bidders. Together with the renovation of the buildings, the park is also arranged, and the valuable trees are protected and transplanted. The comprehensive development of the University of Veterinary Medicine began with the creation of the farm animal clinic in Üllő, which completed the clinical vertical of the higher education institution, they noted.

Source: MTI

Cover: The Neo-Renaissance building complex of the University of Veterinary Medicine is being renovated (Photo: univet.hu)