Construction of a new building for future health professionals and doctors has begun in Olomouc

The construction of a new building for the teaching of students of the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences of Palacký University (UP) has begun in Olomouc. The costs, including the equipment of the new facilities for students, will exceed CZK 640 million, two thirds of which will be covered by a subsidy from the state budget. The modern, unmissable building in Hněvotínská Street will house an auditorium for almost 400 people, facilities for practical training of future doctors and health professionals on the most modern simulators and a canteen with a capacity of 2,000 diners per day. The building should be built by 2026, UP representatives announced yesterday.

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Milan Kolář pointed out at yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony that the new teaching facilities are essential for the further development of medical education at the faculty. According to him, after the construction of the new building, the space requirements of the faculty will be secured for the next 20 to 30 years. "The large lecture hall with a capacity of nearly 400 people will be used primarily for the general medicine study programme, where the number of students in the first year currently exceeds 270, but also for other study programmes and joint events of individual years," the dean said. According to him, the simulation floor will allow to expand practical teaching on the most modern simulators.

According to the dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Jiří Vévoda, the new premises will make studies more attractive and create conditions for better and more successful education in study programmes such as general nursing, midwifery and paramedic medicine. "The new premises will allow us to concentrate all simulation technology in one place and optimise costs," he said.

The Brno-based Atelier Velehradský is behind the design of the new university building. The new building is being built on a former military site on Hněvotínská Street and will attract attention with its unusual shape and cladding of triangular glass and red metal panels. The building will also have a green roof. The modern four-storey building is designed as a five-tract building with classrooms around the perimeter and sanitary and communication cores in the central part.

The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Health Sciences of UP are housed in the building of the Theoretical Institutes, which were built on the premises of the Olomouc University Hospital between 1955 and 1960. The historical building was followed by a modern extension with classrooms and laboratories completed in 2013. The new building should be used by Palacký University students from the beginning of the academic year 2026/2027.

Source: UP and CTK