A healthier working environment for medical students in Foča
The Faculty of Medicine in Foča is attended by more than 1,900 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries, while there are more than 300 employed teachers and associates. Staying in this building is now much more pleasant for them.
Energy efficiency measures were implemented in the building of the Faculty of Medicine under the project "Increasing investment in public facilities with a low carbon emission rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina" (Low-Carbon), financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and implemented by UNDP in BiH in cooperation with the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republika Srpska, and other partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The walls of the Faculty building now have thermal insulation both on the outside and inside, all joinery was replaced, and a new pellet heating system was installed. It is thus much easier to heat the building, while heat loss is minimal. Students and employees of the faculty say that the building has never been warmer and more comfortable.
“We can walk in the building in short sleeves and adjust the temperature evenly in all rooms. This is especially important for students, because our classes take place both in the morning and in the afternoon. The fact that the windows work well allow for regular airing of rooms, practically without changing the temperature indoors.”The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Foča, Dejan Bokonjić, points out.
Renovated faculty premises also contribute to strengthening students' environmental awareness of the importance of taking concrete steps to ensure a healthier environment. Energy renovation of the building significantly reduced the emission of harmful gases. Coal-fired heating created suffocating and harmful air in the surroundings of the faculty, but also in the interior of the building. Students and employees are now breathing clean air.
“The faculty premises are warmer, brighter and more pleasant. Our building looks much nicer and more modern; all employees are happy over the fact that air pollution is reduced. Projects of this type benefit the community and the environment as, in addition to nicer environment, biodegradable fuels also improve the cleanliness and quality of the air,”Said Sandra Cvijetić, the Faculty’s Technical Secretary.
As part of the energy efficiency project, the faculty managed to upgrade one floor of the building with its own funds, so that it got a new classroom space, a library and a reading room, a professor's club, a congress hall and several offices for professors.
The goal of the Low-Carbon project is to remove financial barriers to increase investment in public facilities, which contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions, creates savings, creates new "green" jobs, and supports the country's economic development.