„Sol omnibus lucet”
(„The Sun shines for all”)

Semmelweis University is a leading institution of higher education in Hungary and the Central European region within the area of medicine and health sciences. In 2016 the Faculty of Health Sciences launched a design competition for an extension to a locally listed educational building dated from the early 1900’s. The aim was to create seminar rooms, demonstration rooms and 2 large lecture halls. The open competition was won by Studio Fragment. The site stretches between two streets in the so-called „palace quarter” of Budapest. The neighborhood contains palace style maisons, important cultural and educational institutions mainly
built in 19th and early 20th century.

According to the main design concept the new volume and the existing building form one coherent complex. The basic design principles are based on the dialogue with the existing building and have been developed from it. The addition creates a completed inner courtyard. The two buildings are connected on every levels and the interior spaces are organized by a central atrium which is the main spatial element of the new wing. The atrium is a modern repetition of the old one. Community spaces surround the atrium and visual connection to the inner courtyard is created on each level that gives an airy feeling of the interior.

The building follows and captures the strong axiality and characteristic rhythm of the facades of the buildings in the neighbourhood. Due to the narrow street the main facade can be seen only by side. So the zig-zag geometry evokes the shadow effects of historic buildings and gives the building a two-faced appearance in the narrow street. The combination of smooth and textured precast concrete elements articulates the facade that colour matches to the existing building. On both the street and courtyard facade the grid is an abstraction which follows the building's own structure and subtly responds to the existing building’s scheme.

Light and neutral materials were used in the internal circulation spaces and communal spaces such as white terrazzo, in-situ concrete, structured wall panels and white perforated gypsum ceilings that give fresh and clean look to the spaces. In the lecture halls, refined acoustic panels with different patterns and oak finish increase the acoustic experience.

Architecture design: Studio Fragment Kft.
fragment.hu
Lead architects:Imre Bődi, Zsolt Frikker architects
Architects: Bence Buzás, Csaba Bajusz, Márton Lőw, Zsuzsanna Nagy, Ria Mottl
(existing building: Dezső Hüttl 1906-1912)
Client: Semmelweis University
Competition: 2016
Design: 2017-2019
Construction: 2020-2022
Volumen: extension: 4207 m2 (existing: 12985,0 m2)
Location: 1088 Budapest, VIII. Szentkirályi str. 12.

Photography: Balázs Danyi https://balazsdanyi.com/

Prizes for the building:
2023 Best architects award 24 – winner https://bestarchitects.de
2023 Piranesi Award Nomination http://www.pida.si/nominations-2022
2023 György Vedres Prize
2022 18th Media Architecture Prize – Finalist

STUDIO
Studio Fragment is a Budapest, Hungary based award winning architecture practice focusing on various scale architectural designs from furniture to urbanism. The office was founded by Zsolt Frikker and Imre Bődi in 2011. Both of them are invited lecturers and external instructors of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics - Faculty of Architecture, the largest architecture university
in Hungary.