MOME to modernize its Campus Park in response to the challenges of climate change

Date: 2023.09.04
A community garden, pond and memorial park - new features brighten up the MOME campus, which is unlike any other in the region. Development work will start as early as this autumn. The expansion and renewal of the green areas has been planned by outstanding ecologists and landscape architects, but the university’s own students will also actively take part in this long-term project. Since the MOME campus is a community park and belongs to everyone, the newly developed recreational green areas will be open to locals and visitors to enjoy.

The university, whose goal is to become climate neutral by 2030, came up with the concepts for the pioneering renovation in response to climate change. The aim is to help protect the ecosystem of the community park, as well as to ensure that aside from university staff and students, the district’s residents can also enjoy its recreational features.

Freely accessible from the street front, the 15,000 square-metre park will see the renovation of the gateway between the MOME UP and MASTER buildings and the amphitheatre-style space with rows of stairs in front of MOME GROUND, as well as others areas. However, one of the most important new units will be the community garden behind the UP building, which the students will tend to with the guidance of professionals. MOME citizens will grow herbs and vegetables, and they will also plant fruit bushes.

Since extreme precipitation events are getting more and more common, new and modern water collection sites and micro hills will be created to direct water into rain gardens that will be added to the park. The new aquatic habitat in front of the Gond-űző building will liven up the pond that used to be hidden inside the campus garden as well as the wild and beautiful atmosphere around it. The water area will play an important part in sustaining the surrounding wildlife, serving as a drinking spot for birds.

The park’s existing green areas will also become richer and more lush, supplemented by plant species native to the Buda hills and that support the region’s flora and micro climate. The plants, which include sage, cushion spurge, catnip and mullein, have been chosen for their long blooming periods, their ability to withstand extreme climates and drought conditions, and the fact that they will provide a home and food for birds and insects. 

The worn-out lawn by the big stairs in front of MOME Ground, which is a popular relaxation spot among students, will be replaced by decking that will serve as both seating and a walkway, and each stair level will feature Callery pear trees, which can withstand drought and provide shade.

The memorial park behind the MOME TWO building will further strengthen the MOME community and identity. The park commemorates the university’s important teachers and graduates, as well as those of its predecessor, the College of Arts and Crafts. These include great artists like Frigyes Pogány, István Jákli and Tamás Nagy. 

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