The severely degraded dormitory area in the Agricultural University of Tirana has been transformed into the largest construction site with everything being constructed from scratch in the wake of the damages caused by the earthquake that hit the country on November 26, 2019. Eight new buildings will be rebuilt from scratch as part of the post-earthquake Reconstruction Program to provide 2200 students with optimal conditions and high quality dormitory services comparable to those in Europe. The new residential campus is designed to meet contemporary European standards with modern accommodation spaces, providing sleeping and residential quarters, and standards for habitability and environmental comfort and spaces for contemporary education. The new campus buildings have also been designed to serve as community centres.
“Along with construction of the eight dormitory facilities, the Municipality of Tirana has commenced work to construct two buildings at the University of Medicine, and another facility at the Student City in Tirana,” the Minister of State for Reconstruction Arben Ahmetaj said as he accompanied the Prime Minister Edi Rama during an inspection tour to the construction site. Reconstruction Minister also added that in line with the Prime Minister’s directives and under coordination of the Ministry of Education everything has been designed as part of the Pact on the University.
“Together with the Mayor of Tirana and the Minister of Education, acting upon your request, we designed the project as part of the Pact on the University and we took advantage of the moment to rebuild better, stronger and more beautiful,” he said.
Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj noted that the dormitories won’t work merely as a student residence to provide sleeping and residential quarters, but they will also serve as community centre. “This is only one out of eight construction sites and we will be able to complete the entire structure by summer,” Mayor Veliaj said. “Depending on the progress of the construction work, the dormitories will reopen by September or October at most. We have discussed project with the rectory to transform several office premises at the Agricultural University, small classrooms and labs into dormitory and use them as community centres all the time. We will also work to transform the infrastructure.”
Mayor Veliaj also explained that a solution has been provided to housing of the residents, who were accommodated there in 1997 and 1998. “One of your directives was that we had to provide hosing to all these residents, who had moved into here in 1997 and 1998. They have been all granted rental bonus for now, but they are all eligible to benefiting housing under the post-earthquake Reconstruction Programme.”
On his part, PM Rama considered a radical change the fact that these constructions and infrastructure systems will bring about an urban renewal of the entire surrounding area. “This is a radical transformation because in addition to the fact that students will be accommodated according to highest standards of the best university campuses in Europe, it also it brings a great urban renewal of the whole area and will create gravity for the area. It will increase the value of the area, it will increase the value of the land, it will increase the value of the properties and it will increase the value of the Agricultural University as an education destination and as a destination for what we have discussed and talked about with the university staff on everything set to become available to innovation farmers and all aspects related to laboratories and labor market requirements.”
