Today, after extensive renovations, the MENDELU Library ceremoniously opened its new study rooms. The goal of the renovation was to create modern, user-friendly, and open spaces that would satisfy both users who need quiet study areas and study literature, as well as those who need to relax between lectures. The new spaces will allow for exhibitions, author readings, document screenings, and other group activities. Students can now use four team study rooms, which can be variably converted into two larger rooms, and there is also a small tea kitchen available.
One of the goals of the renovation was to open up the ground floor of the historic Building A as much as possible and restore it to the elegance it had when the building was first constructed. “At the entrance from the main staircase to the basement, the partition walls were demolished, the server room was relocated, the original columns and historic paving were uncovered and reconstructed, and a so-called column hall was created, which can serve as an exhibition space or a relaxation area for students. In the Information Center, the plasterboard wall and ceiling cladding was removed, revealing the load-bearing concrete arches. After careful restoration, they now dominate the entire space,” described Veronika Nykodýmová, head of the construction department. In the apse of the study room, the original skylight was removed, the ceiling was insulated, and the roof was re-insulated, ending more than two years of water leakage into the walls.
The study rooms are located in the basement of Building A, so the construction was also affected by the large number of old electrical and network cables, sewage pipes, and water and gas distribution systems. “It was necessary to determine whether they still had any function or could be removed. On both sides of the Information Center, there are relatively deep channels in the floor, almost as tall as a small person, which probably contained the original hot water pipes. These were cut out and removed, which was risky and difficult work given the dusty environment, as there were only a few entrances to the channels along the entire length of the room in order to minimize damage to the floor. The channels were reused for electrical and network distribution. A walled-up entrance to one of the towers was discovered, as well as the original wall ventilation system,” Nykodýmová outlined.
However, not all findings were pleasant. Increased moisture was detected in the masonry under the windowsills on the northeast side, which has now been remedied as part of the construction, but its definitive removal will require the reconstruction of the first courtyard of building A. A significant item in the construction costs was a completely new ventilation system, not only in the information center, but also in the study room, magazine reading room, and evening study room. In order to accommodate the technology, the toilets had to be relocated and rebuilt.
Sustainability was also taken into account throughout the construction. “The original wooden gallery in the reading room was reused, modified, and expanded. A new feature in the information center will be standing lamps, which provide very pleasant light and can adjust their intensity to outdoor lighting and the movement of people, thus creating islands of light where visitors are seated,” said Nykodýmová.
The construction and delivery of interior furnishings took place from May 2025 to March 2026. The total cost of the renovation was approximately CZK 41 million, of which CZK 35 million was covered by the project Increasing Efficiency, Building Infrastructure, and Developing the Academic Environment (ZEBRA).
