THE EMPTY BUILDINGS AT THE FACULTY OF ARTS ARE UNDERGOING REPAIRS
Repairs and renovation works are continuing in the buildings of the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University on Gondova Street and Štúrova Street. The faculty wants to prepare for its centennial celebrations in 2021.
For months during the coronavirus crisis, the corridors of the Faculty of Arts were empty. The faculty leadership therefore decided to use this period for the carrying out of work that would not have been possible during on-site tuition. The most extensive activity is the renovation of a large part of the floor on the second floor of the main faculty building, where the terrazzo tiles are being restored. While in other parts of the building the terrazzo titles were preserved under layers of linoleum, in parts of the corridor on the second floor they were completely missing. This is probably because this part of the floor facing the Danube River was the most damaged part of the building during the bombing of Bratislava in 1944. “First it was necessary to remove the old cracked concrete floor and take out a few tonnes of rubble and then pour in a new concrete topping. Then the terrazzo was poured onto it, while preserving the colour and structure of the preserved terrazzo flooring on the rest of the floor,” said the secretary of the faculty, Radoslav Števčík.
In the building on Gondova Street, the meeting room of the Scientific Board of the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University as well as several classrooms and offices had their parquet floors restored. They had been covered by layers of linoleum and carpets for years. Modifications were also made in the dean's meeting room, where the tables were altered and the chairs replaced. This increased the capacity of the room. The IBM-sponsored student lounge next to the ground-floor cafeteria will also be refurbished, and the renovation of the building’s front door is also planned.
A more demanding renovation will be improving the accessibility of the building on Štúrova Street. There a new reception area will be built on the site of the old one and will include a lifting platform. This will allow visitors to get to the raised ground floor of the building without any impediment. These renovation works are being financed by the Faculty of Arts from its own resources. The Rectorate of Comenius University has also provided money for the improvement of access for the building on Štúrova Street through a subsidy provided by the Ministry of Education.
Barbora Tancerová