The Rector of the University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, inspects the construction works at the ‘green’ Block B of the NKUA Student Halls of Residence

The Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, visited the building project at Block B of the NKUA Student Halls of Residence, which is progressing excellently. Block B is located on the main (Zografou) campus of the University of Athens.

Also present at the inspection were: the Chair of the Technical Council, Professor Ioannis Tigelis, the Director of the Technical Services, Mr Ioannis Barbaresos, the Head of the Technical Studies Department, Ms Maria Kafantari, the Head of the Maintenance Department, Mr Ioannis Giannakopoulos, and the project’s supervisors.

Speaking on the matter, the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said: ‘This is a critical initiative for students at our University, which has already started and is doing well. The project is one of a kind in that it applies an innovative reconstruction approach to create the most environmentally friendly student hall of residence in the country, with near zero energy consumption. It will accommodate around 130 students, most in single en suite bedrooms, with all single and double bedrooms including a balcony and air conditioning. In time, we hope to secure funding from the Government to expand this work and renovate the rest of the student halls of residence of the University of Athens.’

The project uses the Pro-GET-onE approach, created by a consortium comprising the University of Athens, the University of Bologna, the Technical University of Munich, and experts in the field of novel technological systems and funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

The innovative aspect of Pro-GET-onE lies in its holistic structure, explained below:

Pro-GET-onE is an integrated system that, to the greatest extent possible, relies on prefabricated parts and preassembled equipment to provide optimal performance in the following areas:

1. Energy requirements—by adding (or substituting the existing with) new prefab and plug and play high energy performing envelopes and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) systems.
2. Seismic safety—by using steel components to reduce the horizontal actions on the buildings while also creating the appropriate frames to include the original structures.

With a total area of 4,500 square metres, Block B of the NKUA Student Halls of Residence will have a capacity of 128 beds (in 16 double and 96 single en suite bedrooms).

Using cutting-edge techniques for energy generation and consumption that produce nearly zero energy effect, it will be the first energy class A+ building at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The project is co-funded by the Public Investment Programme of the Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, and the University of Athens’ Special Account for Research Grants.

Block B of the NKUA Student Halls of Residence is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.