Civil Engineering student Eglė Liubancaitė, who has been living in the KTU dormitory No. 10 since the beginning of November last year, is particularly happy with the renovated accommodation.
“I love living in this dormitory. Everything is fresh, new and modern. Where a student lives is her home, so it is very important to have a clean and tidy environment, comfortable to live and to study undisturbed,” says Eglė.
According to her, a more comfortable living environment also contributes to academic achievements; there are excellent conditions for learning in various ways.
Feeling at home helps studying
“If there is a need to study in a group with friends, there are common spaces and if certain tasks require more attention and concentration, the rooms have wide tables for each student, where you can study individually. There is also good lighting everywhere,” says Liubancaitė.
Each floor of the dormitory is equipped with kitchens for common use with an open type or partitioned dining space, suitable for various leisure time activities. There are soft seats for students, tables with bar stools or an amphitheatre for watching films.
The dormitory has automatic access control (the residents or guests can enter the building only with permits), there is storage space for bicycles, scooters and other items, and laundry and drying areas.
“It’s also very convenient that the dormitory is only about a 10-minute walk from the KTU campus and library, so everything is very close and you do not have to waste time in traffic jams driving to the University,” adds Eglė.
The renovation works continue
Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) continues to take care of the improvement of students’ temporary homes – the renovation of the dormitories continues. After the successful renovation of Dormitory No. 10, located on Gričiupio Street, Dormitory No. 11, located on Pašilės Street, is being intensively renovated.
“In the 11th dormitory, it is planned to add heat insulation and renew the facades, the roof and other external elements. To complete the external and territorial arrangement, parking lots are expanded and reconstructed, pedestrian paths and other elements necessary for the well-being of students, renewed,” says Gražvydas Visockas, the Head of KTU Infrastructure Development Department.
The building will be adapted for people with disabilities. Visockas says that all the above-mentioned works should be finished by September.
Sustainability-oriented solutions
Both the renovation of the dormitories and the general infrastructure renewal works are related to the University’s sustainability strategy considering today’s students, University community and environment needs.
“Consequent modernisation and renovation of the dormitory territory, its adaptation to the needs of students is a part of the University’s strategy,” says Visockas.
According to him, during the wide-scale reconstruction of the dormitory No. 10, two electric vehicle charging stations were installed and it is planned to set up four near the dormitory No.11. Also, recently an electric vehicle charging station was installed at the entrances to the KTU Santaka Valley.
“All these installations are closely related to the University’s sustainability strategy because after modernising the dormitories the energy costs of maintaining the buildings are significantly reduced, and the planning of the buildings is improved, allowing the maximum use of all the areas. Also, modern engineering systems are installed, which help to exploit the dormitory buildings even more efficiently,” emphasises Visockas.
KTU’s 2021–2025 strategy plan provides that by 2025 the concept and projects for six University dormitories reconstruction will be prepared. Among the dormitories that are planned to be modernised are three twelve-story buildings and a complex of five-story buildings on Vydūnas Avenue.
KTU has a total of 12 dormitory buildings with the capacity to accommodate about 2,500 students. Every year, more than 700 places are provided to first-year students. The University has the Dormitory Reservation System, where students who have signed a learning agreement can reserve their preferred place that is available from the list. Anyone can reserve a place, regardless of their social, financial status or place of residence.
