CEU Renews

For over two decades, CEU has served as an intellectual and cultural hub in the heart of Budapest. The University's campus redevelopment– which will break ground in early 2015 – will offer a bold and welcoming public presence, open and interconnected space, with cutting-edge technology, flexible classrooms and collaborative student spaces – encouraging open debate, public engagement and a lively, cohesive campus.

"The CEU community looks forward to beginning this project," CEU President and Rector John Shattuck said in a statement. "When the first phase of the project concludes in 2016, CEU will celebrate its 25th year in an enhanced home that we share with our Budapest neighbors."

In consultation with Budapest's Monument Authority, the multi-phased project has been designed to preserve the architectural character of the city block and conform with conservation requirements associated with being in a World Heritage buffer zone. The project will consolidate the University's academic and administrative operations, currently located in CEU-owned and rented properties on both sides of the Danube River.

The project involves renovation and new construction of approximately 35,000 square meters at the downtown campus, spanning six contiguous buildings. Key components of the plan include a restructured auditorium and expanded public spaces. The library – which houses the largest English-language collection in Central Europe – will see a dramatic change with five floors of space, including 450 individual and group study places, multimedia teaching and learning facilities, and a learning cafe. The design was guided by BREEAM principles (the world's leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings) in order to support CEU's commitment to sustainability. It is expected that the University's energy consumption will be reduced by one-third as a result of architectural solutions and installation of modern mechanical systems.

The redevelopment project, costing approximately €34 million in total, was designed by award-winning, Dublin-based architectural firm O'Donnell & Tuomey in tandem with Hungarian partner M-Teampannon and project plans were approved by the relevant municipal and heritage protection authorities. The University signed contracts for Phase I and Phase II of the project with the MARKET-STRABAG consortium of companies that have extensive experience in educational building construction in urban environments.