The Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (KNUCA) — still better known under its former name Kiev Civil Engineering Institute (Russian: Киевский инженерно-строительный институт or КИСИ) — is the largest and most important building and architectural university of Ukraine located in the nation's capital Kiev (also known as Kyiv, its Ukrainian name). The institution was founded in 1930 as the Kiev Civil Engineering Institute on the basis of factory and communal construction branch of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute (KPI) and the architecture faculty of the Kiev Art Institute. During the post-WWII Soviet period, KISI rose to become the second highest engineering and architecture faculty in the U.S.S.R., behind the Moscow Civil Engineering Institute (МИСИ). By the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of August 13, 1993 the Kyiv State Technical University of Construction and Architecture was created on the basis of the Kyiv Civil Engineering Institute. On February 28, 1999 by the Decree of the President of Ukraine (217/99) the university was accorded the status of a National University as "Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture.