The Cornerstone of the Pszczyna Cultural Centre
On April 21 (Thursday), Budimex and the investor (Pszczyna Town Hall) incorporated the cornerstone into the foundations of the Pszczyna Cultural Centre, currently under construction.
It’s one of the largest self-government investments in the municipality and the county. The construction began in January 2022. So far, the foundations of the new building have been completed. Now, load-bearing walls are under construction.
‘Evidently, the project is proceeding apace. It’s bound to be a major asset to this part of the voivodship. Apart from its considerable importance to the inhabitants, it has a major artistic value as well. The sheer scope of the project stands as a testament to its ambition to be a major cultural centre instead of a minor, purely local facility.’ - Jakub Chełstowski (the Silesian Voivodship Marshall) said during the laying ceremony.
‘Pszczyna had been waiting for a project like that for a long time. Apart from a concert hall capable of accommodating 500 people, it’s going to boast a cinema our town has sorely lacked for 15 years. It’s a tricky time to build as a consequence of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, but thanks to our excellent cooperation with Budimex, we certainly hope the centre is completed in time.’ - Dariusz Skrobol (the mayor of Pszczyna) added.
‘At our investor’s behest, we want to accelerate construction in spite of the challenging market. Projects like theatres, cinemas and the like constitute major engineering challenges by definition. It’s necessary to ensure perfect acoustics and stage conditions. It will be a cutting-edge building.’ - Andrzej Schmalenberg (the Budimex Residential and Commercial Construction Director) stated.
The Pszczyna Cultural Centre is intended to be a three-story building. Its total height will be 12,5 metres. The project’s total volume will be 23,580 m3. Its usable area, in turn, will be 2544 square metres, whereas its net area will come up to 3345 square metres. The project includes a theatre hall which will be equipped with 492 standard seats and 4 additional seats for disabled guests. The cinema, in turn, will contain 142 seats. Additionally, the centre will boast a separate dance practice hall and dedicated workshops used for a variety of educational or artistic purposes.
‘At this point, almost 40 employees (construction workers and supervisors) work at the Pszczyna Cultural Centre construction yard. Some of the greatest challenges inherent in the project are ensuring the proper acoustics in the theatre hall and providing the right stage technology. As per the contract, construction is set to be completed on June 30, 2024.’ - Marek Strauch (Budimex SA Contract Manager) said.
Budimex has completed dozens of similar projects all across Poland. Over the past five years, Poland’s largest construction contractor has built analogous centres in cities and towns such as: Katowice, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Marki near Warsaw, Cracow and Lublin.