Construction of a new science space begins on Linkmenų street (visualizations)

A vision created more than 5 years ago is turning into reality - in Vilnius, on Linkmenų Street, a new modern scientific building will soon start construction, which will house the Antanas Gustaichis Aviation Institute of the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU AGAI). Every visitor will be able to understand immediately what kind of specialists are being trained here, as soon as they enter - the hangar plane in the common space of the modern building.

According to AGAI dean dr. According to Justo Nugar, the appearance of this building is the long-awaited end of a much larger project. "With this 840 m2 extension, we plan to complete the transfer of AGAI from Rodūnias road, where it was previously located, to the VGTU Linkmenų student campus. The extension will be connected to the VGTU AGAI Training and Laboratory Building, which was already moved there a few years ago," says J. Nugaras. According to the dean, an auction is currently being announced for the sale of the old university buildings near the airport, when it is successfully implemented, the opportunity to start new construction will open.

AGAI's dean says that university students will experience a fundamental change: "We want to gather AGAI's community under one roof, so that students need to travel as little as possible between faculty units scattered in different parts of the city." We aim for first-year students to meet older students more often. In the best universities in the world, it is common for students to spend a lot of time between lectures and after them at the university, we want this to become common at VGTU as well, so a large area of ​​the new building will be dedicated to leisure spaces - lounges, a library with a reading room." 

The newly built part will house common rooms, an amphitheater auditorium-conference hall, two smaller auditoriums, a reading room, a meeting room with multimedia equipment, and the faculty dean's office.

According to Karolis Sankauskas, the general director of UAB "Projektavimo spremdani", the company implementing the project, the new space will stand out for its design and solutions: in addition to the airplane, which will certainly attract the attention of visitors to the building, there will be stairs installed here, which will perform two functions - movement and a gathering point for students, where you can spend time between lectures. "AGAI was very lacking in leisure spaces. When creating the building, we wanted it to have its own identity, to emphasize its purpose, to arouse the desire to be in it, to improve and achieve goals. The space around the building was rather monotonous, it was invented to enliven it - a mini runway will appear, reduced Vilnius airport layout. It will be an emphasis that serves academic activities as well. When creating buildings intended for a scientific institution, it is necessary to give them a spirit so that students feel at home, and not come here to quickly settle assignments and listen to lectures," says K. Sankauskas.

The general director of UAB "Projektavimo spremndi" says that the biggest challenge in designing the new building was the limited area and the desire to compactly fit many spaces in it, and also to make them visually interesting. When designing the building, the needs of the existing building were taken into account, so sustainable, long-lasting and economical solutions were chosen, responsible use of non-renewable natural resources was thought of, energy-efficient design solutions were chosen that would not contribute to climate change or environmental pollution, and would protect natural resources.

K. Sankauskas himself is a graduate of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering of VGTU, according to him, this project is also a tribute to the university: "Each building is unique, that's what makes my work, which has become a hobby, interesting - to create something new every time. During the 15 years of experience, I have had to design many buildings, but this is the first time I have to create my own university "from scratch". When I was still a student, I thought it would be cool to pay tribute to my educational institution, and today it all becomes a reality."

The pandemic has slightly changed the aviation market. AGAI dean J. Nugaras notes that although the aviation sector is currently experiencing difficulties due to the global pandemic, after it ends, people will want to make up for it and continue to travel and fly, so the recovering market will need more and more specialists. "AGAI is one of the few faculties in Lithuania where the number of students is increasing. We believe that this trend will not change," says the AGAI dean.