The Földtani Intezet was designed by the famous Hungarian architect Ödön Lechner in the Secession style, a variation of Art Nouveau that incorporates elements of Hungarian folk art and which became the Hungarian national style. Masterpieces by Lechner include the Geology Institute https://pbase.com/helenpb/image/130482111, the Postal Savings Bank https://pbase.com/helenpb/image/130678536, Szent Laszlo Church https://pbase.com/helenpb/image/130490945, a villa https://pbase.com/helenpb/image/130489212, Kecskemet City Hall https://pbase.com/helenpb/image/130648750 and the Applied Arts Museum https://pbase.com/image/128557313. The architect also always tried to integrate elements relevant to the purpose of the structure; in this case he added fossils and geological forms to the building.

Information on Lechner is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ödön_Lechner