In January 2019, a fire broke out in the Students' Home. Following the extinguishing of the fire, it became clear that the demolition of the dormitory wing and a functional rethink of the building block was necessary.

 

In the design process, our primary concern was to learn, understand and preserve the past. For us, continuing the tradition means feeding on common roots, reinterpreting them, updating them in the present, and creating continuity.

 

"Let there be light!" reads the quotation from Genesis on the stained glass window of the staircase of the Bishop's Office. The basic Reformed ideal is modesty and, through it, aesthetic and functional purity. The units in the building, which were previously scattered, have been separated. From Ráday Street, you can visit the renovated spaces of the Ráday Library and Collection and the Bishop's Office. The interior of this building block has been completely renovated, with the necessary extensions being made in the roof space of the building. This is the "spiritual center" of the building; the prayer room, the music room, the "spiritual" room for the spiritual life of the faculty students, the office of the Student Council and the community spaces. In the center of the building, the college library will be housed in a youthful space suitable for both collective and individual study.

 

We envisioned the operation of the college and the Faculty of Theology in the form of a transparent and permeable building block, opening up to Markusovszky Square and creating a connection with it, with a separate entrance, a new entrance, a lobby and related infrastructure. The building's message lies in its openness.  The new building no longer protects students by isolating them from the world but treats them as active members of society. It is a community space that blurs boundaries. Community functions are twofold. Prospective pastors can meet each other in communal kitchens, canteens, the chapel, the library, or on the roof terrace overlooking the panoramic view of Mount Gellért, and they can meet the world in the ground floor lounge or the café on the square. And the world with the Church.

 

The functional layout is reflected in the mass of the building. The façade and massing of the old building have been renovated to match the 1910 conversion. We restored the tympanum over the great hall, the original cornices and other decorations. The usable elements of the 1980s conversion have been retained.