When the Chemistry building, Kemihuset, at Johanneberg is refurbished, the entrance floors around Kemigården will turn into new bright premises for students.
On campus, we want to offer students and staff good study and work environments in functional premises. When the University of Gothenburg moved its operations from the Chemistry building to other premises last summer, new opportunities opened up for both students and staff to use and share premises in the building at Johanneberg in a better and more efficient way.
Gathering educational facilities on the ground floor
“We will gather undergraduate education on the ground floor and build new student labs. It will provide simpler and better conditions for students and teachers, help us raise the quality and experience of our courses and programmes and create more life and movement in this part of the building,” says Hanna Härelind, Head of Department at Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
The undergraduate education will leave some of the premises that are currently used as lecture halls and group rooms but will instead have more space in other places in the buildings around Kemigården. There will be open study areas, different types of lecture halls, group rooms, meeting rooms and study booths. In addition, there will be a refurbished and shared kitchen for events arranged by the student divisions.
“Another positive effect is that we can create better spaces for internal and external meetings and collaborations in the building,” adds Hanna Härelind.
“For us, the refurbishment also means that we will have more premises, which is a welcome addition as our operations has grown and we are currently too crowded, both in terms of offices and laboratories," says Maria Faresjö, Head of Department at Life Sciences.
All in all, this provides an important addition of premises for the project A unified campus, which will bring together the entire planning for all teachers and students that will have Johanneberg as their campus in the future.
Long-awaited refurbishment
Isac Stark, former president of the student union and a Chalmers student in his last semester, has followed the project for four years and sees the refurbishment as a matter of his heart.
“It feels fantastic that future students will have nice and bright premises in the buildings around Kemigården. As with all rebuilding, you have to expect that the relocation period may be a little messy, but it is only temporary.”
"I think we student representatives have been able to express our needs and wishes, for example through interviews with the architectural firm. The dialogue with the university has worked well”, says Isac, who is currently the student union's representative in the project as well as on Chalmersfastigheter's board.
In late 2023, the relevant Chalmers boards approved the project, and an agreement for continued planning has been signed with a contractor. The actual renovation is scheduled to start in 2025.