New Building of SOTE, Faculty of Health Sciences, Budapest

Architects: Imre Bődi, Zsolt Frikker
Text: Miklós Okrutay
Photos: Balázs Danyi

The new block of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Semmelweis University confidently occupies its place within the complex, which was formerly a convalescent hospital and then was expanded with the site of the neighbouring elementary school. The new building not only connects to the existing ensemble, but does much more than that: it creates internal flows and momentum. The central organising role is played by the spacious atrium flooded with light. The connecting passageways are also transitional spaces in their own right, creating small nooks and crannies that encourage people to have a rest here and there. Among these, the expansion of the space, which is formulated as a translation of the illuminated courtyards and is connected to the sides, stands out with its expressive proportions, but the staircase that almost floats into the atrium and leads through the levels also appears with its own special sculpturesque qualities. The glass balustrades of the walkways and staircases opening onto the atrium are graced with a tracery resembling a copper net, the chain link of which elsewhere turns into a graphic component in its own right and enriches the decent and restrained atmosphere with a unique motif. On the lower floors of the new wing the two classically sloping grand auditoriums placed above one another feature rows of benches significantly extend the original potentials of the building which has been promoted to house a university. In addition to functional thoughtfulness, all this is expressed with a creative awareness that places the new Semmelweis University building among the finest examples of university architecture that gained momentum after the turn of the millennium.

Architecture: Studio Fragment
Leading architects: Imre Bődi, Zsolt Frikker
Fellow architects: Bence Álmos Buzás, Zsuzsanna Nagy, Márton Lőw, Csaba Ádám Bajusz, Rita Mottl
Interiors: Studio Fragment, Bálint Csóka – Kroki Studió
Signage: Andrea Parák – Studio Fragment
Structure: Gábor Szaniszló – Tetra-Plan, Balázs Móczár – Geoexpert
Base: András Ament – AA4 Ltd.
Electrical engineering: Artrea Consulting
HVAC: János Viczai
Sprinkler: Gábor Molnár – Piroplan
Garden, landscape: Gardenworks
Framework: Gergő Sipos – Arkkhitehti Ltd.
Fire protection: Lajos Gábor Takács dr
Accessibility: Bernadett Babits
Kitchen technology: András Gauland – Teco Gastro
Elevators: László Déri – Viron Ltd.
Roads, traffic: Balázs Balogh
Client: Semmelweis University
Technical supervision: Bmsk Ltd.
Main contractor: Laki Ltd.