Great step towards modernization of teaching at FSV UK: Laying foundation stone for new building has launched building works on Jinonice Campus

On Tuesday 15th October, 2019, a ceremonial tapping of the foundation stone for the new building on the Jinonice campus took place. The project “Modernization and expansion of teaching space on the Jinonice campus” is thus entering the implementation stage. The newly reconstructed premises and a new building will open to students in 2022. The investment amounting to more than three-quarters of a billion is covered with 95% by the funds from the Operational Programme of Research, Development and Education. The main motivation behind the project is to solve the lack of quality space that FSV UK has been struggling with for a long time, to create conditions for high-quality teaching and research activities, and to concentrate as many teaching and research activities in one place. The construction company OHL ŽS, a.s. is the contractor of the building works.

The ceremonial act was attended by Rector of Charles University Tomáš Zima, Dean of FSV UK Alice Němcová Tejkalová and representatives of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Magistrate of the Capital City of Prague, the Municipal District of Prague 5 and a construction company OHL ŽS, a.s.

“Despite a wide discussion across the academic community that has been accompanying the intention to modernize and reconstruct the Jinonice campus since the very beginning, we have all been able to agree that we want to develop Jinonice. Therefore, I am extremely glad that this project connects FSV UK and I firmly believe that despite all the difficulties involved we will manage to bring it to a successful end and the new premises will allow us to provide academic activities corresponding to the 21st century level,” said Dean Alice Němcová Tejkalová.

The foundation stone, which the participants ceremoniously tapped on, will be part of a new four-floor building that will be built during the first stage of the project implementation and will create a gateway to the Jinonice mini-campus. In the new building there will be a foyer with a reception desk of the school and the library, which will serve as an exhibition space with the adjacent café. The building will primarily cater for students by offering them a place for self-study, team study and relaxation, and also a library. There is no such space for students on campus at the present time.

“I am delighted that the project of the further construction works and reconstruction of the Jinonice campus, which will bring especially modern teaching facilities, will not only add to better conditions for the staff and students of the Faculty of Social Sciences, but will also enable to connect several workplaces of the Faculty in a single place,” said Rector of Charles University Tomáš Zima.

Everything will be established in compliance with a high-tech standard. The rooms will be furnished with audiovisual equipment (interactive boards, LCD panels, conference technology, etc.). In the second stage of the project, the existing buildings will be completely renovated - lecture halls, seminar rooms, and offices. The whole project is conceived with regard to achieving economical, energy efficient and ecological operation.

The campus currently consists of two buildings with four and six floors. Due to their original purpose of the administrative space for MŠMT and the time of construction around the year 2000, they no longer meet the needs of a modern university.

“With this project, the company OHL ŽS, a.s. can build on its tradition of constructing public facilities, i.e. the buildings of hospitals, school premises or sports facilities. Such constructions are still needed and attach a greater meaning to the project. I am wishing a successful end to the project of the Jinonice construction - a construction that will fully meet the expectations of FSV UK,” said Aleš Kézr, director of the J-Čechy division, on behalf of the contractor of the construction works.

The Faculty of Social Sciences will become the exclusive user of the Jinonice campus once the construction works have been completed. It plans to centralize as much of its operation as possible here. Currently, it shares the campus with the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Humanities. However, both faculties are preparing to vacate the Jinonice premises in the future due to their own construction projects.

Photo above: A ceremonial tapping of the foundation stone for the new building on the Jinonice campus. From left: Václav Velčovský, MŠMT (the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports) deputy minister for the management of EU and ESIF section; Renáta Zajíčková, mayor of the municipal district of Prague 5; Tomáš Zima, Rector of Charles University; Alice Němcová Tejkalová, Dean of FSV UK; Jan Chabr, councillor of the Magistrate of the Capital City of Prague; Aleš Kézr, director of the division of J-Čechy OHL ŽS, a.s. and Tomáš Karásek, vice-dean for development at FSV UK.