The exterior remains a school of the old days, the interior of the main building of the university of the city on the Danube is being renovated with 21st century engineering  

Due to the dynamic growth in student numbers at the University of Dunaújváros (DUE) and the dual need to modernise the main building, renovation of the educational institution's only remaining socialist realist-style building began in the summer of 2023. Our portal has reported on this several times here. This academic year, 1,200 students began their higher education studies at the university, bringing the total number of students at the institution to 3,500.

The 6400 square metre building will be reborn in ten phases

Over the course of a year, the university's main building will be modernised based on the plans of ArchiNEST Építész és Mérnökiroda Kft. . Commissioned by the Foundation for the University of Dunaújváros, ZÁÉV, which was entrusted with the work, took over the work site in July 2023, where István Zoltán Takács,, the project's chief engineer, began implementing the ten phases of the project.

The primary objective of the renovation of the building, which has a useful floor area of 6400 square metres, is to modernise the energy efficiency of the main building, including the installation of heat pumps and heat exchanger ventilation systems using renewable energy in addition to passive thermal insulation.

The main building of the DUE, which is a Local Heritage Site, will be renovated while maintaining its external character, similar to the distinctive interior design of the auditorium. This will preserve for posterity the last witness of social-realist architecture on the university campus.    

Seventy-one years in the service of education

The main building of the university was designed by József Malomsoky in 1952, while the interior spaces and the auditorium were designed by Pál Minári. The special feature of the L-shaped building is that the lobby rises from the façade in the central axis of the main building with a semicircular line. This part of the building bears the original coat of arms, which refers to the fact that the school, built in 1951-53, was the seat of the metallurgical technical school in the 1960s. From 1969, the building was used for twenty-one years by the Faculty of Metallurgy of the Technical University of Heavy Industry. From 2000, the building was transformed into a Dunaújváros College, and from 2016, it has been a university. In the last decade, the university has become increasingly attractive and significant with a modern campus and dormitory.

Retain the building's distinctive features

Prior to the renovation, the contractors consulted with the city's chief architect, primarily about the façade, where the policy was to preserve the existing structure. It was therefore a priority to ensure that the main entrance and the replacement of the roof cladding, despite the renovation, would have the same effect as the previous slate cladding. ZÁÉV also met the university's request, with the management insisting on preserving the appearance of the lobbies.

Server room in the basement with waterproof and fireproof walls

The first phases of the project consisted of demolition work, grouting of the basement walls and the construction of the thermal and water insulation. The floor was insulated with slabs, while the basement wall was insulated from the outside after being excavated in sections.
The rooms in the basement, ground floor and first floor spaces of the building are being laid out according to a new
distribution. The storage rooms, the archive and the server room will be moved into the deepest part of the main building. A canteen and student centre will also be located in the basement. The server room is enclosed by waterproof and fireproof walls, and in addition to ensuring uninterrupted operation, the dust-free room is cooled and kept at a constant temperature by four high-performance split air-conditioners.

The general contract also includes the installation of the building's low voltage network, security and camera system, including a separate room with server room functions. The modernisation of the building includes the introduction of smart control solutions capable of serving a minimum of 1500 users, the detailed design, construction and integration of which are the subject of the procurement.

Past and future meet on the roof

The next stage of the project involved replacing the roof structure and cladding and replacing the front façade vents. The entire timber roof structure of the main building was demolished and rebuilt, resulting in a new tile and sheet metal roof covering of nearly 2,700 square metres. The work carried out at height also included the installation of vapour permeable sheeting, thermal insulation and internal fireproofing before the ceramic roof tiles were installed.

"The phased replacement of the Bohn slabs was a big challenge professionally," said the project manager. Today, slabs are no longer built using this solution, but in the mid-20th century it was still common practice to place the ceramic formwork on thickened formwork and then to fill the gaps between the elements with concrete after reinforcing steel had been laid.
The renovation of the roof also included the development of solutions to allow light into the interior spaces by the installation of skylights and roof windows, but also the installation of 55 light channels.

One by one, the façade decorative elements were removed and then replaced after the building was insulated

The work then continued with the insulation of the façade and the installation of passive thermal insulation, and the installation of cornices and decorations. The façade detailing, cornices and quoins were also retained in accordance with the protected status.
 

This was solved after discussions with the chief architect by first dismantling the window frames and sills and then installing the insulation. Then the re-fabricated decorative elements were fixed to the façade and finally the surface was covered with a thin veneer.

Polystyrene insulation was installed on the façade and rock wool insulation at the fire compartment boundaries. The quoins, cornices and window frames were made of polystyrene with the original appearance. The design of the façade ornaments, the renovation of the coat of arms and the remanufacture of the elements were among the most challenging tasks to be carried out on the façade. In some places, compromise solutions were required to comply with the protection regulations,
the arched main entrance pillar gateway could not be fitted with the required thickness of thermal insulation.

New building with modern infrastructure

Five phases of construction work in the main building included the construction of new infrastructure, the execution of the building and technical works. The electrical network was laid out on a new track with many new grooves, wall and slab penetrations. This caused a number of unforeseen and unexpected structural problems, which were solved by slab reinforcement and slab replacement. In the attic, which was stripped back to the steel supporting structure, all the trunk lines were rewired. Structural engineers were involved in the works, mainly to create new tracks for the mechanical equipment, which required slab and wall breaks. In addition, the steel structure was also inspected when the roof cladding was replaced.

New mechanical system in the main building provides comfortable, healthy air spaces

The mechanical modernisation of the university building has included the installation of new heating, cooling and ventilation systems to make the lecture theatres comfortable for large audiences. The mechanical rooms at the two ends of the attic were fitted with ducting in the suspended ceiling to provide ventilation to the rooms.

The air is blown in and out of the façade through grilles inserted in the window grids. The outdoor units of the VRF and RWA systems are optically concealed in two flat roof sections. The latter are direct evaporative cooling and heating systems in which several indoor units can be connected to a single outdoor heat exchanger via a single ridge. Thus, the temperature of each refrigerant/room can be controlled separately.

This ensures energy efficient operation, as does the use of integrated smart home control and building management software. In addition, in the spirit of modernisation, opening and presence detectors support the ventilation systems to operate in the most energy-efficient way.

Around 780 students can be seated in the main halls at the same time

For the lobby, the client requested that the appearance of the spaces be preserved. Under the so-called Open University principle, the common areas of the main building will be open to the public during the day. The cladding was chosen in collaboration with the interior designer. The staircases and lobbies were modernised as part of the project, including the renovation of the huge iron chandeliers, which weigh several hundred kilos.
After the renovation, the Rector's office will move into the south wing on the ground floor of the building, while the offices of the academic department will be located in the north part. The western part of the floor will house the gym and the changing rooms.
On the first floor will be meeting rooms and teachers' offices, while the second floor will house seminar rooms and lecturers. On the second floor, the distribution of space will remain unchanged, with modernised mechanical equipment serving the rooms, including the five large lecture and eight seminar rooms.
The attic will house the business and operations offices.   

Nearly half a thousand windows and doors replaced

A total of 471 new or refurbished windows and doors were installed in the main university building. On the façade alone, 185 windows were replaced, while inside the building, a further 218 windows were replaced with modern windows.
The scale of the works is reflected in the construction quantities below,
which are not exhaustive:

•             facade insulation (15 cm mineral wool) 2 664 m2
•             screed 3 509 m2
•             suspended ceiling construction 4 323 m2
•             front windows 625 m2
•             roof construction 2 105 m2
•             skylight installation 219 m2
•             additional soil moisture insulation 1 720 m2
•             gym sports floor 281 m2

The precision and timing of the construction was aided by point cloud 3D laser scanning. During the renovations, the experts also tackled the weather, using dehumidification machines to reduce the damage caused by damp and speed up the technological processes.

The renewed building could be inaugurated at the turn of autumn and winter

The building's surroundings will also be renewed. The project included the construction of a new drainage system for waste and rainwater, and the installation of a storm water reservoir. The outside spaces will be paved and the garden will be improved. The project is scheduled to be handed over at the end of November.