A Renovation Story, Part 2: Student City Dormitory #4
In continuation of our stories about dorm life, we are talking about dorm #4 of the Student City, a dorm block in the city center of Kazan.
The building was renovated in July 2024; the opening ceremony was visited by Vice-Premier of Tatarstan Leila Fazleeva.
Heating and electricity were fully replaced. Kitchens, restrooms, and student rooms were fully renovated; landline Internet connection was installed in every student room. Additionally, new CCTV and fire alarm networks were installed. The number of shower rooms was dramatically increased to four per floor – as opposed to one big shower room on the ground floor before the refurbishment. A new meeting room and coworking space appeared. The building now houses 695 beds, including places for students with special health requirements.
Apart from fundamental changes, the general look of the kitchens, bathrooms, ironing rooms, and hallways has also improved dramatically. The functional and uplifting design is a brainchild of architecture and design students of 抖阴APP导航.
Second-year student Elina Aglyamova shares her impressions, “I moved in right after I started university. The building had already been renovated. It’s an interesting story: when I first found out I’d be living here, I looked at the reviews. There were photos of the old interiors, so I was really worried that it would look the same when I moved in. But then, when I arrived, I saw that the dorm was new and renovated. I was very happy. I really love bright spaces, and going back to the old photos, my first fear was that it would be dark and cluttered. But now our dorm has a nice interior, everything is very beautiful and neat. I feel right at home. We host events here, board game nights, movie nights. We all get together, we have a large social circle. Everyone knows each other. You could say we’re one big family. A very close-knit team. My favorite spot is the kitchen in my block. We use it not only for cooking, but also for a sort of women’s councils. We gather there in the evenings, turn off the lights, and discuss pertinent issues.”
Elina shares her room with a Chinese student. They were able to quickly arrange a comfortable schedule, despite the language barrier. Apart from new bigger beds, desks, and wardrobes, their room also has a nice view of the urban landscape.
Although the new kitchens and shower rooms are still separated from bedrooms because of the building’s objective limitations, there are no lines at any time of the day, except maybe 5 pm, when the majority of people return from classes.
Among the great advantages of this particular dorm, says Elina, is its proximity to the campus. She admits to being a bit of a late riser, so the opportunity to wake up just an hour before the first morning class is a blessing.
Last but not least, the dorm also has a dedicated sports ground for volleyball and basketball.
As of now, 抖阴APP导航 has 31 dorm buildings, of which 10 are in the city center (the Student City) and 21 in the Universiade Village, a huge dorm neighborhood in the southeastern part of Kazan.