Extension of the St Anthony’s Franciscan High School and College, Esztergom

Architect: Robert Gutowski
Text: Tamás Kiss
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky

The new educational wing of the Franciscan High School and College of St. Anthony of Esztergom was completed in autumn, 2024. The building, which was designed by Gutowski Architects, follows the previous concept and forms continuity between past and present. With the construction of the L-shaped block, a square courtyard of the monastery adjacent to the Baroque core was completed by a larger, newer enclosed one. To the east, the building now forms a square wall enclosing the church, the monastery and gymnasium complex, which is bordered by streets. The new enclosed courtyard was converted into a sports courtyard, with a sports hall with a grandstand and changing rooms and a gym in the courtyard side of the building, and a closed indoor garage underneath. The lobby facing the street provides access to the classrooms with sunlight coming from the south, while to the north an upstairs passage provides access to the extension of the old dormitory building housing kitchenettes and classrooms. The building’s roof terrace offers a unique setting for educational, recreational and community activities, with extensive green roofs combining alternatingly covered-open and covered surfaces.

Leading architect: Robert Gutowski– Robert Gutowski Architects
Architects: Gáspár Bollók, Barnabás Dely-Steindl, Péter Kaknics, László Hunor Kovács, Ákos Béla Szokolay
Fellow architects: Anikó Bánhidi-Kovács, Adrienn Bársony, Regina Bebesi-Kovács, Gábor Boronkay, Dóra Darida, Zsuzsanna Gácsi, Krisztina Geigerné Czikk, Norbert Horváth, Márton Hunyady, Eszter Kovács, Kornél Sipos, Árpád Tóth, Bence Tóth
Collaborating experts: Gergely Tombi, Ferenc Mikus, Dezső Hegyi Dr, László Lakner, Ádám Turi, Sándor Csia, Gyula Kerek, László Paragi, Árpád Rátonyi, Zsombor Balogh, Klára Macsinka, Anita Kocsis, Gergely Sarkadi, Péter Rabb, Ferenc Sütő, Zoltán Szabó, Kristóf Lődör, Balázs Móczár Dr