Armuth Miklós - Lőrinczi Zsuzsa (szerk.): A Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem Történeti Campusa (Budapest, 2023)
A Kémiai épület - The Chemistry Building Kalmár Miklós
58 foreman equalled 4% of the total budget. Besides, he was allocated 1200 Crowns to cover the costs of his study tours abroad so that he could gain international experience. Construction started in 1902. A total of 54 contractors had submitted bids for the construction of the Ch Building. The client claimed to modify the architectural programme previously drafted several times at the very beginning of the construction stage, and proposals were made to integrate an experimental material testing laboratory too, so as to guarantee the technological standards of the project. According to this, it would be worthwile to concentrate the tests performed at many places before in one and the same room. During the sessions of the board plans previously made were carefully analysed whilst realizing that some details were missing (such as the plans of gas-heating, calculations for the iron framework, even the elevation drawings). The architect answered to charges saying that during the design stage everything had still been unsettled, and the site boundaries had not been marked out yet. The ministry criticised the pavilion design, arguing that it was too costly. An agreement was made and thus the first two buildings, Ch and F retained their pavilion designs, whilst the rest were meant to be block-type ones, housing various units of the university. What they did not predict was that the representatives of the various departments would be against this typology later on while quarrelling about the areas they needed. The contradictions of the pavilion-type and block-type design remained on the agenda throughout the construction stage. Czigler reassured everyone concerned by saying that internal revisions would be still viable later on. The mass with a cupola marking the northernmost point of the area proved to be a befitting prelude to the generous project. The acute-angled intersection of the quay and Budafoki Road permitted the development of a triangular site. As he had to economize space, Czigler designed buildings with contours adhering to the streets. The configuration of the first general plan shows that the pavilions would have faced the outer urban environment according to the designer's concept, and, accordingly, the green areas between them would have been infills only. This scheme was modified later on as the block format opened up the buildings from the direction of the garden rather than from a large entrance from the street. The area still undeveloped then between them was upgraded, as circulation between the buildings was all-important because of their shared functions. Thus an enclosed university garden was realised. Czigler designed the Ch Building as a spectacular, but pavilion-type design featuring an imposing entrance facing Gellért Square and a facade softened towards the Campus. The three-flight grand staircase with a Baroque-style composition was placed in the joint of the mass opening apart and he sequenced the corridors flanked with rooms along the internal courtyard thus created. Further important rooms (a large auditorium,
