The modernization of the Planetarium in Chorzów was awarded the title of Modernization of the Year 2023 in the 27. edition of the Modernization of the Year – Construction of the 21st Century competition. The contract carried out by Budimex in 2019-2022 was rated the highest by the jury in the category of public buildings. Over 500 investments were submitted to the competition. Only the best 20 of them were awarded.
” The modernization of the Planetarium, a facility under conservation protection, along with the expansion is a gem in terms of engineering. The construction struggled with the period of the pandemic and a drastic increase in prices, but also with difficult geotechnical conditions, material requirements and the need to secure the nearly 100-year-old historical building for the next 100 years of operation. This investment shows that we are able to implement the most demanding and complex projects – says Jakub Nagraba, Director of Building Construction at Budimex S.A.
Other construction: Trasa Łagiewnicka in Krakow received a special distinction from the district construction supervision. The same investment won the title of Construction of the Year in September this year, also referred to as the Construction Oscar.
The construction of the Łagiewnicka Route was one of the most important investments of the city of Krakow in recent years. As part of the contract worth about PLN 680 million, the largest Polish general contractor commissioned a 3.5-kilometer route. Construction works began in July 2018 and lasted until June 2022.
Budimex, commissioned by the Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship, carried out the modernisation of the Silesian Planetarium in 2022. The scope of work, based on the contract of March 27, 2019, included the modernization of the existing building, as well as the creation of a new underground usable area and an observation tower with the “camera obscura” device used inside (Latin for optical darkroom – the prototype of a photo camera). Construction works as part of the investment lasted 34 months.
The facility with a total area of 7,084 m2 has been enlarged by 3,200 m2 of usable area. Four parts of the facility for different purposes and completely different structures were modernized: the Planetarium, the Observatory, the auxiliary building and the small observatory (parts A, B, C and F). The former and newly created part of the planetarium (part D and E) were connected by a panoramic elevator, located at the western wall of the clock courtyard. A significant area of the newly created part of the facility is below ground level and was made in reinforced concrete technology.
Over 2 km of the Łagiewnicka Route, i.e. most of the 3.5 km of the road built, was led in tunnels, the longest of which is over 700 meters long and is located between the Sanctuary of John Paul II and the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy. In addition, new road junctions, noise barriers, bridges, footbridges and sidewalks were built. The course of the Wilga River bed and the course of the nearby Kraków-Skawina railway line were also changed. Bicycle paths were built along the entire investment, and a new tram line from Turowicza Street to Zakopiańska Street. Recreational areas have been created above the tunnels, in the vicinity of Zbrojarzy Street, m.in. skatepark, sports fields and playgrounds.
