Kounicova hall of residence to be renovated

Scheduled to begin this year is the renovation of the Kounicova hall of residence. The initial stage of the works will take place at the high-rise building close to the Faculty of Law, with 289 rooms with 570 beds. Amounting to CZK 250 million, the reconstruction will include the interior and new plumbing and other utilities, giving students the increased comfort of en-suite toilets and bathrooms. In addition to the renovated interior the reconstruction shall address an issue with the structural integrity of the building.

The commencement of the reconstruction is subject to the approval of an investment project within the framework of Programme 133 220 “Development and renovation of material and technical facilities of public universities”. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic will announce the results of the call during April. Due to SKM’s operating losses the renovation is financed by MU.

Recently the Vinařská hall of residence has been massively renovated for CZK 100 million. Rooms have new electrical installation and flooring. This renovation also included new furniture and renovated kitchenettes.

Masaryk University has its accommodation facilities at nine locations all over the city. Most of them are older buildings where operation and maintenance are more challenging. In addition to large investments the university spends millions to tens of millions each year on renovation and maintenance of other halls of residence. This year, the university is planning to renovate the interior of the Mánesova hall of residence for CZK 26 million.

While many students often complain about the quality of accommodation, the demand for these facilities is up and substantially higher than what the university can satisfy. Both SKM and Masaryk University are actively searching for opportunities to increase the number of rooms or beds offered. To this end, new beds will become available at the Vinařská dormitory. Former hotel rooms offered on a commercial basis will be transformed into 54 rooms for students, thereby increasing the number of beds by 121.

The university’s long term plans include the construction or purchase of new buildings, representing an increase of the number of beds by one thousand. The Vinařská complex and the Bohunice campus could see new accommodation facilities in five years at the earliest.