The largest Polish general contractor has completed the key phase of the reconstruction and expansion of the Institute of Thermal Technology of the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology. The renovation includes a total of three wings – B, C and D, as well as a courtyard and a fire road. At the same time, Budimex submitted this project to the Construction of the Year 2022 competition. The plebiscite is organized annually by PZITB in cooperation with the Ministry of Construction and the Central Office of Building Supervision.
The investment carried out by Budimex included the reconstruction of two wings of the Warsaw University of Technology – B, C, as well as a courtyard and a fire road. Currently, works are underway in building D. So far, the renovation has been carried out under the supervision of a conservator. The net value of the contract is PLN 69.1 million. The investment was financed by the Warsaw University of Technology and the Ministry of Education.
The eastern wing C was intended for teaching and research purposes, primarily:
- Department of Refrigeration and Building Energy,
- Aircraft Engine Plant,
- Department of Thermodynamics,
- Department of Rational Use of Energy.
The reconstruction within the C wing was aimed at introducing appropriate functional divisions, filling in the gaps and introducing a clear communication system. This involved separating new rooms, introducing two staircases and creating a new corridor. The space of the then emptiness in the central part of the building was filled with new ceilings, creating communication. On the ground floor, the rooms in the hall have been extended by a corridor located along the eastern façade of the building. Due to significant changes, it was necessary to demolish the existing load-bearing walls and introduce an additional structure on which the new elements of the horizontal partitions were based.
The D wing, which will be completed by mid-December 2023, will include:
- laboratories of the Department of Power Engineering and Equipment,
- laboratories of the Department of Rational Use of Energy,
- individual laboratories of ZCHiEB and ZT,
- workshop with social facilities and cloakroom,
- classrooms,
- exhibition areas.
Ordering the functions requires significant changes within the body of hall D. It is necessary to demolish the existing walls and eliminate the non-functional staircase in the southern part of the wing. In its place, a new staircase with a passenger lift was designed. The second vertical communication node is planned at the eastern, internal façade of the hall. Some of the existing machines will be removed so that new divisions and functional layout can be introduced. In the central part of the building, new ceilings are planned, which will connect different levels in the northern and southern parts of the wing, additionally creating the possibility of exhibiting the original elements of the mini didactic power plant in an open, two-storey space. Such a solution of internal communication, including the passage to a two-storey room intended for the exhibition of the Laval turbine and the crane, will enable the implementation of the idea of an educational path that will lead through subsequent rooms of the hall with historic equipment.
As part of scope I, works were carried out on the reconstruction of hall C and the extension of a roofed courtyard with a bypass to 1. floor around the existing TC-1 auditorium. The cooling tower in the middle of the courtyard and the reconstruction of the former gatehouse building were excluded from the basic scope, except for the necessary reconstruction of the roof. Scope II also includes the interior of a one-storey building on the border of the roof with an unchanged function – it will still house the Ionizing Radiation Measurement Laboratory, which is part of ZMUE.
The extension resulted from the roofing of the existing courtyard between wings C and D and hall B. Additional functions were located within it. As part of the connection of this zone with the existing front wing, passages on level 1 are planned. floors on both sides of the auditorium – this results in the creation of an additional storey in this fragment.
At the same time, Budimex has selected the reconstruction of the ITC building of the Warsaw University of Technology for the nationwide “Construction of the Year” 2022 competition. The plebiscite has been organized since 1989 and promotes the broadly understood construction industry. Thanks to its rich tradition, the “Construction of the Year” has become one of the most prestigious achievements of the Polish construction industry. The general contractor works closely with the university and its students – for several years it has been conducting internships on its construction sites as part of the cooperation. So far, 25 students of the Warsaw University of Technology have attended the internship at Budimex.
