Rector Miroslav Ludwig signed contracts to commence construction of additional modern facilities. New Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology and Teaching Area Polabiny are to be built, both for a total of 230 million crowns.
On Tuesday, August 5, a contract for work was signed to commence the construction of the Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology in the oldest campus in the city of Pardubice in the Čs. legií Square. The company to win the public tender, in which there was the total of five applicants, is a supplier from Brno, company UNISTAV a.s. The contract for performance of the work was signed by the Rector of the University, Professor Miroslav Ludwig, and Deputy Managing Director and a member of the Board of the building contractor Martin Řehůřek.
Modern scientific facilities
Within a year, modern scientific and laboratory facilities will be created in the centre of the city for the development in materials research in particular, which has a long tradition in Pardubice and which ranks among the leading centres of international importance.
"The new facilities will increase the quality of student learning and implement innovations of the master's and doctoral degree material oriented programs, especially those of two technical and science-based faculties of ours - the oldest Faculty of Chemical Technology, which has a long tradition of research material, and the youngest Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, where the new facilities will enhance the development of the technical disciplines pursued," says Rector of the University of Pardubice Miroslav Ludwig.
To modernize this part of the premises in the city centre, whose oldest historically valuable part was renovated in 2012, the University of Pardubice will invest additional about CZK 120 million, CZK 96 million from the Operational Programme Research and Development for Innovation and approximately CZK 23 million from its own resources. Of this amount, the extent of the works to be carried out on the basis of the recently signed contract for work is about CZK 73.5 million.
Teaching area for three faculties
The other important building is the Teaching Area Polabiny, to be constructed by Kroměříž-based company VW WACHAL a.s., which was the winner of the tender. Rector Professor Ludwig signed on Wednesday, 6 August, the contract for construction works together with the director of the company Viliam Wachal. Reconstruction of the 1960s building will significantly help to modernize the educational infrastructure of three faculties, right on the university campus in Polabiny.
The new campus should improve conditions and facilities for the preparation of highly qualified specialists in the field of non-technological innovation. After completion of the reconstruction, the facility will cover the needs of, in particular, the social and economic sectors of the University. Six classrooms and eight laboratories for education related to research or teaching of foreign languages will be used mainly by three faculties - Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Faculty of Economics and Administration and Jan Perner Transport Faculty.
There will study rooms for doctoral students and their supervisors and their research activities, a study room also serving as a meeting room and two specialized workplaces of information technology. The new premises will be equipped with modern computers and presentation technology, which is a necessary technical prerequisite for the modernization of education and which will enable efficient sharing of information and communication technologies that the University already has at its disposal.
Rest area and new car park to be built
ZAt the same time, a relaxation zone will be built in the premises in the inner atrium with refreshments and the modernized building will be interconnected with adjacent university buildings. A new car park for 92 cars will be built behind the EA building, including 5 seats for disabled people.
At the beginning of the academic year 2015/2016, the first students and academics should start using the integrated premises with a significant centralization of quality teaching capacities in the very heart of the university campus in Pardubice – Polabiny. Total investment costs will climb to about CZK 110 million; the University will also contribute 30 million. Construction work under the contract signed with the contractor will cost CZK 85.6 million.
Both buildings will contribute to enhancing the quality of facilities and academic activities carried out therein
"From the perspective of building the campus, reconstruction of the courtyard at Čs. legií Square will complete the last major reconstruction of this large building. Teaching Area Polabiny is in line with the overall development concept of the campus where we attempt to improve the campus environment, especially on the south side of the Studentská Street. Both buildings will undoubtedly increase quality of the facilities and contribute to the improvement of academic activities in the field of education, research and development," says University Bursar Petr Gabriel.
Commenting on the companies that secure the reconstruction, the Bursar said: "The two winning contractors have extensive experience with construction, even in a university environment. Upon signing the contract, we handed over the building sites, and both companies immediately began the work. For our part, we will do our best to properly complete the construction and we have already scheduled initial inspection days. We have secured funding for both buildings, the amount of funding and deadlines, including penalties, are laid down in the contract. When signing the contracts, representatives of the two companies declared that these were feasible projects to them. I suppose if there should be some construction problems, we will certainly handle them together with the building contractors. Students and academics thus can now look forward to the new facilities at the beginning of the next academic year 2015/2016."
Since 2009 the University of Pardubice has received the amount of CZK 1.6 billion for the development of its activities, in support of education and research, through 46 projects under the Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness and 6 projects under the Operational Programme Research and Development for Innovations.
Ing. Valerie Wágnerová
Chancellor - Spokeswoman of the University of Pardubice
Rector Miroslav Ludwig, Deputy Managing Director of UNISTAV Martin Řehůřek and Bursar Petr Gabriel at the signing of the contract
Photo: Archive of the University of Pardubice
