At the very heart of Kaunas University of Technology Student Campus, a new contemporary Student Information Centre was opened earlier this month. The refurbished contemporary info point is a place to contact for any questions you may have about the student services provided by the university.
“This is the first ever centralised student information hub at KTU. Previously, for the information about the different services provided by the university, students had to contact different departments, which were located both on the KTU Student Campus and in the central building,” says Jonas Čeponis, Vice-Rector for Studies at KTU.
In the new KTU Student Information Centre, you will get advice on general issues of postgraduate study, on accommodation, international studies and internships; its staff will provide information on GIFTed and GIFTed Masters talent development, and SKILLed FinTech’s specialised continuing education programmes. WANTed career competence development, GUIDed mentoring programme, UNITed after-school activities and those of INSPIRed art societies – you can find out about all of these in the new info point in the campus.
The 700-square-meter area accommodates individual and shared workplaces, conference and lounge facilities and has an abundance of innovative solutions. Height-adjustable tables and ergonomic work chairs, colours and textures are adapted to meet the needs of the staff of the Department of Student Affairs, International Relations and the Doctoral School.
The new info point was integrated into the premises which previously housed KTU Institute of Ultrasound Research. According to Čeponis, due to the excellent location of the new KTU Student Information Centre, it is very convenient for the students of the KTU engineering and technology faculties.
Gražvydas Visockas, the Head of KTU’s Infrastructure Development Department says that the project of the new information centre was prepared and the planned premises were installed very quickly.
“The general completion of the project from the emergence of the need to the implementation took one year,” says Visockas.
The project was prepared and implemented in cooperation with KTU alumni – the conceptual idea of the information point premises was created by Lukas Mankus a graduate of the KTU Architecture study programme. Statybų vizija was responsible for the construction works, and Isku furniture salon contributed to the implementation of the design solutions.
Visockas emphasises the new info point’s layout – although all its employees work in the same open space, there are options for individual work and meetings.
“Although this is an open office, the workplaces, conference and meeting rooms have been arranged in such a way that the seemingly open space is divided into certain zones, and the various departments do not interfere with each other when working,” says Visockas.
The lightweight glass elements and colour solutions chosen for the installation of the information centre are not only in line with the trends of contemporary architecture, but also brighten the premises and help adapting the office to the functional needs of the staff. According to Visockas, although there was no intention to coordinate the design of the Student Information Centre and the new KTU Campus Library opened in March, their interiors are united by a similar range of colours and textures.
“The interior design of the university is partially dictated by the architecture and interior of the buildings, such as the need to maintain heritage-protected terracotta floors or exterior façade solutions; certain concrete surfaces, such as window openings or window sills, must also remain,” says Visockas.
The new KTU Student Information Centre is located at Studentų Str. 50, where three KTU faculties – Informatics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Electrical and Electronics – operate.
