Created: 2026.03.16. 13:29
The opening event of the CASA.17 international architectural student design competition was recently hosted by Széchenyi István University. The initiative brings together around 260 students and 35 instructors from seven Hungarian and Romanian institutions. Its aim is to give young participants the opportunity to test their skills in a real-life context beyond traditional classroom assignments, while jointly reflecting on the future of the built environment.
Within the educational approach of Széchenyi István University, programmes that provide students with practical experience through real professional situations, international cooperation, and a strong local context play a key role. The CASA.17 international architecture student design competition fits well within this approach. This year’s opening event took place in the University’s concert hall, located in the former Győr synagogue.
“The course began nearly twenty years ago in Cluj-Napoca as a student initiative. The goal was to allow young people to try themselves in a more flexible, project-based environment alongside traditional design assignments, working in teams of two. A unique aspect of the programme is that each year one of the participating institutions – this time Széchenyi István University – announces the design task. Students of architecture from all participating universities work on the same brief, and the submitted projects are evaluated by an international jury at the end of the semester,” explained Dr Tamás Szentirmai, head of the Department of Architectural Design at the University.
Dr Tamás Szentirmai, Head of the Department of Architectural Design
(Photo: Adorján András)
“This year’s task is related to the University’s Faculty of Design and Performance Arts. The building to be designed will include accommodation, rehearsal rooms, musical spaces, as well as community and cultural functions. The aim is for students to develop architectural solutions that both respond to the specific needs of music education and strengthen the University’s integration into the urban fabric,” detailed Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice-President of Scientific Affairs at the University.
“The project’s special value lies in the international perspective that participants bring with them. New viewpoints and fresh ideas often lead to inspiring and innovative solutions. These concepts may even contribute to the future development of Győr,” emphasized Dr János Szép, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Transport Engineering.
At the opening ceremony, Dr János Szép, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Transportation Engineering, emphasized that project-based education connected to real-world challenges plays a key role in the faculty’s academic programmes. (Photo: Adorján András)
The collaboration also offers valuable professional experience for Universities’ instructors. Zoltán Major, associate professor at the University of Debrecen, has joined the programme several times to support the teams’ work. “Each university has its own educational concept, so this initiative provides an opportunity to learn about one another’s methods and perspectives. We have even incorporated some of these experiences into our own curriculum, which clearly shows how much we as instructors have benefitted from the results so far,” he noted.
In addition to Széchenyi István University, the project involves students and instructors from the University of Debrecen, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, the University of Oradea, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, the Politehnica University of Timișoara, and the Târgu Mureș extension of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urban Planning in Bucharest. According to Larisa Fanea, a second-year architecture student at University of Oradea, the programme offers particularly valuable experience: “It is a rare opportunity to work in teams during our studies while simulating a real design competition. It will certainly be useful for our future careers.”
During the semester, nearly 150 design proposals will be prepared for the selected site. The submission deadline is the end of May. The international jury will evaluate the entries in early June, while the award ceremony and the opening of the exhibition will take place on 19 June at the FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture.
“Around 260 students and 35 instructors from seven universities are participating in the initiative.” (Photo: Adorján András)
