The extensive renovation of buildings A and B in the Student Village block 1, located on the western side of the Student Village, has been completed. At the beginning of August, new tenants were able to move into 77 fully renovated apartments.
Student Village block 1 was completed in 1969 as one of the first blocks of Turku Student Village. Over the years, various repairs had been carried out in the buildings and apartments, but the building systems had now reached the end of their service life.
During the renovation, each 18 m² apartment was equipped with its own kitchen. Previously, the 12 apartments on each floor had a shred kitchen. The apartments also had their own mini fridge and two hotplates
“With the renovation, the apartments in Student Village block 1 better meet the needs of living of today. The experience and lessons gained from the project can also be utilized in our future renovation projects,” says Anssi Aalto, TYS Real Estate Manager.
During the renovation, all building services systems both outside and inside the buildings were renewed. The apartments were equipped with apartment-specific mechanical supply and extract ventilation with heat recovery, as well as individual water and electricity meters. The apartment-specific water meters were equipped with in-apartment displays, allowing tenants to monitor their daily water consumption. These solutions improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and make living more comfortable and functional than before.
“The measures implemented have also significantly improved the energy efficiency of the buildings. The buildings’ energy performance indicator (E-value), which determines the building’s total energy consumption, decreased by more than 38% as a result of the renovation,” explains Matias Salo, TYS Building Services Engineer.
Previously, the buildings had 18-square-metre studio apartments, 12 per floor, which had a shared kitchen. The apartments also had their own mini-fridge and two hotplates. As part of the renovation, each apartment was equipped with its own kitchen, including a fridge-freezer, a two-zone induction hob and a combination microwave oven. Five shared kitchens were converted into 36-square-metre one-bedroom apartments. The tenants’ everyday needs were also taken into account in the design.
Each apartment has four waste bins to make sorting easier
“We wanted the design to consider how all everyday activities can be carried out easily and safely in a small apartment. We also wanted to encourage tenants to recycle waste more effectively, so every apartment now has four waste bins, one of which is intended for biowaste,” says Johanna Salminen, TYS Construction Manager.
The tenants’ communal facilities were also renovated. A quiet and comfortable reservable study space was created on the first floor of building 1 A. In addition, the laundry room in building 1 B was refurbished and its washing machines were replaced.
The renovation is now continuing in buildings C and D of Student Village block 1, which are scheduled for completion around the turn of the year 2026–2027.
The 18 m² studio apartments and 36 m² one-bedroom apartments in Student Village 1 buildings A and B can also be viewed using 3D models created from renovated apartments:
Student Village 1 A, 18 m2 studio
Student Village 1 A, 36 m2 one-bedroom apartment
