Twenty-five thousand square metre university complex supports training for disaster management professionals

A ceremony was held at the National University of Public Service, where a bush walkway was placed on the highest point of the National Institute of Civil Protection building, built by ZÁÉV.

The completion of the project will also represent a significant step forward in the theoretical and practical training of disaster management professionals. It is also planned to move the educational and administrative functions of the National Security Institute (NSI), the KVI dormitory and the Orczy Garden operations department to the new premises. A special feature of the project is the construction of a permanent and a training fire station.

A glass bridge connects the buildings

The building consists of a basement, ground floor, four upper floors and an attic. The main building complex, designed by Óbuda Group, will be the main building complex with a variety of functions: the KVI Main Building and the Auditorium building, which will house lecture halls and classrooms, connected by a glass bridge.
The former is divided into three wings, with the cafeteria, kitchen, National Security Institute, and KVI teaching and administrative departments located in the teaching wing. The main building will house a dormitory, as well as the fire brigade and operations wing.

Mental health training and fire safety laboratory to support training

In the Fire Brigade Wing, in addition to the permanent and a training room for student firefighters, a psychological training room and a fire laboratory - with wet and burning rooms - will support the training of professionals. Next to the building will be a 2140 m² training area, which will be used for events and training in addition to the firefighting stations.

The deepest point of the building is -5.4 metres and the highest is nearly 18 metres

The top service level of the monolithic reinforced concrete building, reinforced with reinforced concrete piles and built on a slab foundation, is 17.55 metres, while the lowest, basement level is -5.40 metres. On the lower levels there will be a garage for 131 cars. This level is surrounded by 4250 m² of reinforced concrete partition walls.
Special purpose spaces, such as the large auditorium or the psychic training room, required large span load-bearing structures, while the basement slab in the fire station wing was designed with reinforced load-bearing capacity due to the location of the structures.

Intensive green roof also helps to insulate the building

The exterior of the building combines a variety of materials. The KVI Main Building is clad in anthracite sheet metal. The mechanical systems will be concealed behind a metal slat cladding in the plane of the high roof. An intensive green roof will be created on the slabs above the unbuilt basement, with water and thermal insulation under the topsoil. The Auditorium building will have a natural tile roof.
An interesting feature of the project is the reconstruction of the Illés Fountain in the courtyard of the current Hungarian Museum of Natural History, as a replica of the wooden fountain in the Holy Trinity Square of the Buda Castle. In addition, the 18th century well found during the construction will be restored.
Along the southern façade of the building, a stepped garden will be created, including a rose garden, an ornamental pool, fruit trees, a planting wall system and geometric green spaces.
The new university buildings are scheduled to be opened in the first half of 2026.

The university has been training disaster management professionals for more than a decade

The Institute of Disaster Management comprises five university departments (Disaster Management Operations, Fire and Rescue Management, Fire Engineering, Fire Engineering, and Industrial Safety) and a Department of Training Organisation. At the National University of Public Service, the bachelor's programme started in the academic year 2013-14, where students can choose between specialisations in disaster management operations, fire and rescue management and industrial safety. The master's programme provides the knowledge required to manage and lead disaster management organisations.

A building with a soul

Fifteen months after the foundation stone was laid, a ceremony was held again at the National University of Public Service. At the event, the Rector of the institution, Gergely Deli, recalled the 700-year-old tradition of the bushwalking celebrations.

In his speech, he stressed that it is not only walls that are being built, but also community. The bush is a gift from the builders to the building and it also gives it a soul.

In his speech, he stressed that it is not only walls that are being built, but also community. The bush festival in this approach is not only a building tradition, but also a community-building and symbolic act. It is not only a sign that the house is standing, but also a way of making it alive. The head of the institution underlined:

The bush can be seen as a gift from the builders to the building, a sign that gives the house a soul. It is also a warning that this building will soon be more than concrete, glass and steel. The walls are already standing and will be filled with life, thoughts, questions, answers and discoveries.

The building will also serve young people, teachers and researchers, and will continue the intellectual building work of the National Institute for Disaster Management that has been going on for 13 years. The last building on the Ludovika Campus will also be essential for the start of teacher training.
The construction site is being worked on daily by 285 specialists to ensure that, despite the challenges, the work remains on schedule. The KVI project will be architecturally integrated with the historic Ludovika main building and will also include the renewal of Orczy Park.