According to the project managed by the Vilnius Development Company, a public interest entity of the capital, a sixty-year-old building in the Žvėrynas microdistrict is awaiting significant changes. The total school area will increase more than threefold – from the current 1.7 thousand sq. m to more than 5.8 thousand sq. m. In addition to fundamentally renewing and strengthening the existing school structures, additional floors will be added on top, and the building spaces will be expanded with new annexes.
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After reconstruction, the school branch will be supplemented with additional learning spaces, FabLAB and ArtLAB creative laboratories, a sports hall adapted for various sports, an assembly hall space, and modern civil safety coverage.
In the renovated school, 384 students will be able to study instead of 235.
“The reconstruction of the Blindžių Street school is entering the stage of real work. In Žvėrynas, where the demand for educational places remains high, the renovation will mean more opportunities for children to study closer to home and better conditions for the entire school community. It is important for us not only to increase the number of places – we are also creating a modern, comfortable, and motivating environment where children will enjoy learning and growing,” says Vilnius city mayor Valdas Benkunskas.
After reconstruction, the school building will consist of five interconnected blocks instead of the current two. The reconstructed building will meet the highest A++ energy efficiency class. A solar collector system is planned to be installed on the roof, which will allow part of the electricity to be generated on-site.
“In five years, we will reconstruct more than 10 schools in Vilnius, and we are analyzing renovation possibilities in another ten. Schools built in the last century are no longer satisfied with just repainting walls or replacing windows. Therefore, we invest heavily in capital reconstructions of existing schools, and we will increase the area of the branch of the progymnasium on Blindžių Street several times, installing modern laboratories. This way, the school will finally be adapted to the 21st century,” says Vilnius city vice mayor Vytautas Mitalas.
The project includes elevators, lifts, tactile surfaces for the blind and visually impaired, so the building and the entire territory will be fully accessible to people with mobility disabilities. For the safety of the territory, video surveillance, access control, and security alarm systems will be installed.
“When preparing the reconstruction project of this school, architects were tasked with planning the building infrastructure as rationally as possible while minimizing environmental impact. During the construction phase, our goal is to ensure that these solutions are implemented with quality, responsibility, and according to the planned schedule. The school is not just a building – it is a daily space for children, teachers, and the community, so we want to implement these changes thoughtfully and with respect for the environment,” says Jonas Stravinskas, head of the Design and Construction Management Department at Vilnius Development Company.
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To preserve as many existing greenery as possible, the building blocks are designed to be fragmented, but 10 trees are planned to be removed due to the development. After the construction works are completed, the same number of new trees will be planted on the territory. The remaining part of the territory will be adapted for student relaxation, outdoor classrooms, sports, and playgrounds.
Reconstructing a building used for more than six decades requires especially important experience, the ability to respond flexibly, and at the same time ensure quality and work pace.
“We will not only renovate the Blindžių school but also significantly expand it, so our task is to smoothly coordinate the existing structures with new solutions,” says Arvydas Markevičius, CEO of UAB “Infes.”
Along with the school reconstruction, the surrounding infrastructure will be improved – the section of Blindžių Street from Birutė to Latgalių Street will be renovated, new sidewalks will be installed, and water supply networks will be updated. 21 parking spaces are planned to be installed on the street.
The reconstruction project of the progymnasium at Blindžių St. 3 was prepared by the design and consulting company “Atamis.”
The reconstruction works are expected to start at the end of this year and be completed in 2028. While the construction works are ongoing, students of the Kunigaikščio Gedimino progymnasium branch on Blindžių Street will temporarily study at the branch located on Žvejų Street.
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