Lajos Lechner Knowledge Center, Regional, Architectural and Informatics Nonprofit Limited Liability Company

The institution performs public tasks in spatial development and planning, as well as construction and monument protection.

The tasks of the Knowledge Center include the operation, maintenance and development of the Construction Documentation and Information Center and the National Construction Registry. The Knowledge Center manages documentation related to spatial planning, settlement development and planning, and within this framework, it also manages the National Land Use Plan Cadastre, operates the National Spatial Development and Spatial Planning Information System, and performs the registration and data provision tasks of the plan cadastre.

The next major transformation took place in 2019. This year, heritage protection tasks were re-integrated, and the Knowledge Center took over the surveying and geoinformatics activities of the Budapest Metropolitan Government Office (BFKH). The Department of Surveying, Remote Sensing and Land Administration took over the real estate registration, surveying and state administration cartographic tasks.

It is also responsible for heritage protection registration and research related to archaeological sites and monuments, as well as the scientific preparation of protected designations.

The Knowledge Center is the manager of a significant plan repository and document collection, and several GIS-based registries, an e-construction website serving to inform designers and contractors, and a unified base for electronic construction authority administration.

Its tasks were mostly public tasks specified in law. Of particular note are the operation of the Construction Documentation and Information Center, the National Construction Registry (OÉNY), the Electronic Documentation System (ÉTDR) supporting E-construction and Construction Authority Licensing Procedures, the Unified Electronic Public Utilities Registry – E-Public Utilities, the National Spatial Development and Land Use Information System (TeIR), Regional Planning and Decision Support, the performance of public authority registration and scientific tasks of the Heritage Protection Center, and Electronic Document Management. At the time of its establishment, 12% of the company was engaged in GIS.

The Lechner Excellence Program is open to students from various fields of architecture or urban planning.

The Knowledge Center is looking for applications from young people with a degree. The ideal candidate considers it important to

knowledge of advanced technologies, practical application of innovative methods, proactive

with his personality, he sees the problems to be solved as a challenge and will gladly represent this

approach in domestic higher education.

History:

1. VÁTI Nonprofit Ltd. (full name VÁTI Hungarian Regional Development and Urbanism Nonprofit Ltd. ) was a state-owned, non-profit limited liability company operating in the field of regional development. The company's predecessor, the Urban Planning Office (VÁTERV), was established in 1950. Its activities covered the areas of research, planning and consultancy related to regional development and spatial planning, and it participated as an intermediary organization in the implementation of several European Union programs. The company was 100% state-owned, and its ownership rights were exercised by the Minister of National Development and Economy.[1] Its subsidiary is VÁTI Urban Planning Ltd.

Initially, it dealt exclusively with settlement planning, and later also with regional planning, monument protection and professional research, and its activities continuously expanded. In 1967, its name was changed to the Institute of Urban Planning and Planning (VÁTI). Among other things, the 1971 National Settlement Network Development Framework Plan and the National Spatial Development Concept (1986) were prepared here.

After the change of regime, from 1993 it operated under the name VÁTI Hungarian Regional Development, Urban Planning and Architecture Limited Liability Company. It was established in 1997 with the transformation of the Urban Planning Scientific and Design Institute.

The year 1998 brought a turning point in the life of VÁTI: it took over the National Spatial Planning and Technical Planning Office (opened by the ÉVM in 1969 and under the legal succession of the BM) and was commissioned to implement regional Phare programs and Phare CBC programs supporting cross-border cooperation. At that time, the first regional office was founded, and later such offices were also operating in Budapest, Eger, Miskolc, Mátészalka, Debrecen, Békéscsaba, Szeged, Pécs, Székesfehérvár, Sopron, Szombathely and Zalaegerszeg.

After Hungary became an EU member state (2004), VÁTI participated in the Regional Development Operational Programme (ROP) and the INTERREG Community Initiative programmes as an intermediary organisation and as a final beneficiary.

In 2014, VÁTI was abolished by a government resolution, and its tasks were continued by the Széchenyi Program Office, and the newly established Lechner Knowledge Center, as a full legal successor, inherited the straw legacy of VÁTI.

2, The Institute of Land Surveying and Remote Sensing (abbreviated name: FÖMI ) was the Hungarian government's state administrative organization dealing with land surveying and geospatial information, which was abolished by legal succession in 2017. As of April 1, 2019, certain tasks of the state administrative organization for land surveying and geospatial information have been performed by the Lechner Knowledge Center.

FÖMI was established in 1967 by Decree Law No. 8 of 1967 (on ministerial reorganization), Order No. 22/197 of the Hungarian Ministry of Land Management (on the establishment of the Surveying Institute of the Hungarian Cartographic Office) and Government Decree No. 338/2006 (XII. 23.) (on the Surveying and Remote Sensing Institute, the Geographical Names Committee and the rules of real estate registration).

In January 2017, FÖMI ceased to exist by merging with the Budapest Metropolitan Government Office by legal succession based on Government Resolution 1312/2016. (VI. 13.). After that, its tasks were performed by the Surveying, Remote Sensing and Land Registry Department (BFKH FTFF) of the Government Office. [2] The former director of FÖMI (2015-2016), Gábor Fekete, became the head of department of the BFKH FTFF.

Based on Government Resolution 1151/2019. (III. 25.) on the government restructuring related to the reorganization of real estate registration and cartographic tasks, the Basic Network and State Border Department, the Land Development and Operation Department, the Cosmic Geodesy Department, the Service Department, the Remote Sensing Department, the Spatial Information Department, and the Informatics Department, which provides IT support to these departments, were merged into the Lechner Knowledge Center by the 6th merger, so that the legal successor of the departments merged by the merger became the Lechner Knowledge Center as of April 1, 2019.

The Knowledge Center was named after the Hungarian architect Lajos Lechner (1833-1897), who, as one of the most outstanding urban planners of his time, took a major part in the preparation of the first general plan of Budapest. Lechner designed Andrássy Avenue and participated in its implementation as the CEO of the company founded to carry out the construction. After the great flood disaster in Szeged in 1879, Lajos Lechner prepared the reconstruction plans for the destroyed city, which resulted in the construction of a modern city on the banks of the Tisza River. From 1885, Lajos Lechner worked as the chief inspector of the construction of the Parliament Building.

From 2015, their name changed from Lechner Lajos Knowledge Center Regional, Architectural, Heritage Protection and Information Technology Nonprofit Ltd to Lechner Knowledge Center Regional, Architectural and Information Technology Nonprofit Limited Liability Company. The personal name Lechner Lajos was replaced by the name Lechner, referring to the polymath family that introduced the wider world of engineering. In addition to the engineering spirit of urban planner Lajos Lechner, the innovative, aspiring engineering and architectural spirit of Ödön, Jenő and Kamill Lechner, and all Lechner family members and descendants, also lined up.

As a background institution of the Deputy State Secretariat for Architecture and Construction of the Prime Minister's Office, it supports the government's architectural policy with its expertise. Its areas of activity are assisted by specialist IT, a documentation centre managing documents and plans related to the areas, and geospatial information technology. Many of its tasks are defined by law and are related to the professional tasks of the competent ministry's field of expertise.

The Knowledge Center is a tool and opportunity for the responsible ministry and its other partners to implement their IT, construction and architecture, regional planning, regional development and document management ideas. For this, a well-trained team of professionals, technical capacity, and a unique document and information base are available.