Official opening of the renovated UP Student Housing

Official opening of the renovated UP Student Housing

On Friday, 20 October 2023, the UP Student Housing opened its renovated section in Prisoje. This important acquisition has already provided students with 82 extra beds with private bathrooms and kitchens, in double or triple rooms, at the start of the academic year. The new part of the dormitory adheres to the existing dormitory of the ŠD Prisoje, where UP has been offering 160 student beds since 2018. In total, the ŠD Prisoje site will have 121 rooms with 242 beds. The total investment (from the purchase of the land and the building to the equipment) amounts to EUR 3,215,247.61. The investment is financed by the MVZI.

It should be recalled that at the end of 2022, UP also bought the former Garni Hotel Pristan from Luka Koper d.d. and has already built 55 beds for students in 18 rooms, which were occupied by students in February this year. In addition, UP ŠD also owns ŠD Čebelnjak, Koper, with 38 rooms and 94 beds, and ŠD Korotan, Portorož, with 65 rooms and 130 beds. In total, there are 521 beds. With the acquisition of new beds, UP ŠD has somewhat reduced the problem of student accommodation. However, they point to a serious shortage of beds on the Slovenian Coast.

UP analyses show that around 1,000 additional beds would be needed, also due to the private market, when tourists from all over the world are competing with students for the same available capacity. This is why universities today need a larger share of their own accommodation than in the past, and this is even more true for a young and dynamic university like UP. It is precisely because of the severe shortage of beds in the dormitories owned by UP that the UP ŠD team is working to find other, additional solutions to accommodate students during the academic year. For example, for several years now, it has been concluding contracts with the owners or managers of market apartments, which are occupied mainly during the tourist season. Forms of cooperation between UP ŠD and external accommodation owners range from simply referring students looking for rooms to UP ŠD renting out a property in order to sublet it to students.

For the academic year 2023/2024, cooperation has been concluded for two holiday facilities of the Slovenian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted in Piran, for the Primaž apartments, also in Piran, and for three facilities in Izola; Art Rock Residence Izola, Kaki in Kiwi and Rooms Argo Izola. This has provided UP ŠD with an additional 146 beds for students. In addition, the MVZI provides 545 private subsidies to UP Student Housing.

UP ŠD will continue lively. In 2023 and 2024, work will continue in the ŠD Barka, as the current layout is not yet optimal due to very limited cooking facilities for students, and will therefore continue with the installation of mini kitchens, energy renovation and other minor improvements to the facility. In addition, work will be carried out to install evacuation staircases and energy-efficient heating and cooling in the ŠD Prisoje, as well as renovation of the roof, bathrooms, and kitchens. In the ŠD Korotan, evacuation staircases will also be installed. UP was successful in the Ministry's call for tenders "Invitation to public institutions to submit applications for (co-)financing of maintenance works in the field of student residences in 2023 and 2024" and was granted around EUR 600.000,00 for the investment value of the three buildings.