A unique higher education campus opens in Lohja
Laurea’s new campus opened at the Lohi shopping centre.
The opening of Laurea’s new campus in Lohja was celebrated on Thursday, 5 September. The modern and unique campus is located on the second floor of the new Lohi shopping centre, right in the heart of Lohja.
The open house held during the shopping centre’s grand opening on Thursday attracted a large number of visitors interested in Laurea’s new facilities. Approximately 1,500 people visited the campus during the day.
President and CEO Jouni Koski: “A higher education institution opening towards society”
- This is a great day for us. We waited for this for a decade, but now we have a magnificent, modern campus in Lohja, said Laurea’s President, CEO Jouni Koski.
The new campus is centrally located, has excellent transport connections and is right next to the diverse services of the shopping centre. Openness was also a key aspect in the design of the Laurea facilities. This feature, together with the location of the campus, provides excellent opportunities for a new kind of cooperation. According to President Koski:
- The greatest thing about the new campus is how the higher education institution opens towards society. The campus is easy to access and its spacious and transformable facilities promote interaction between students, personnel and partners, he says.
A library in the middle of the campus
In addition to its spaciousness, the design of the new campus facility incorporated, in particular, flexibility and transformability. A central part of Laurea’s new campus is the library. Its open concept integrates smoothly and naturally with the common areas.
According to Assistant Librarian Mirva Moilanen, students and personnel immediately made themselves at home in the comfortable library:
- We officially opened just a few weeks ago, but our services are already being used very extensively. We have received positive feedback about how the library is now a part of the campus’ work areas as a whole, she says.
Blended learning is an integral part of studies on the Lohja campus, and, therefore, the library has plenty of users throughout the day.
- The library’s hours are more extensive than before. A new and positive feature for the students is the opportunity to borrow books even if staff are not on site, Moilanen says.
“The simulation hospital is like a real hospital ward”
One of the areas that drew most attention during the opening of Laurea’s new campus on Thursday was the simulation hospital. The simulation hospital resembles a real hospital and is thus an important part of nursing studies in Lohja.
- Starting the new academic year in the new and modern simulation hospital is absolutely awesome, says Essi Peltonen, a nursing student who demonstrated nursing studies at the simulation hospital to visitors during the opening day.
- The simulation hospital offers a completely new dimension to the studies and prepares us even better for placement. Once you’ve studied here, you are much more confident working in a real hospital environment.
One of the features of the simulation hospital is the patient care manikin that helps students practise their nursing skills. Teachers can control the manikin remotely and monitor students’ work by video from a separate room.
- The visitors were extremely interested in our facilities and particularly the patient care manikin, says Heidi Jokinen, Senior Lecturer in Nursing.
- Many also asked if they could come to this ‘hospital’ for treatment, since the setting here is so brilliant, says Jokinen with a chuckle.