The University of Ústí has announced a competition for the construction of a science center

Ústí nad Labem - The University of Ústí nad Labem, J. E. Purkyně University (UJEP), has announced a public tender for the construction of the Center for Natural Science and Technical Studies. The largest investment in the university's history could cost up to 454 million crowns excluding VAT. Students could start using the facility by the end of 2019, the university spokesperson Jana Šiková said today.

The new building will serve the Faculty of Science, which will move into it. Students from the Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Faculty of Production Technologies and Management will also use the laboratories. "A specific requirement for the project was, for example, eight special research laboratories for polytechnic fields and 230 parking spaces," the spokesperson stated.

Interested parties can view the construction site this week. Bids can be submitted until September 15. According to the rector Martin Balej, the university will cover the costs through grants from the Ministry of Education and its own resources.

The expected value of the public contract represents the maximum permissible price. The evaluation committee will assess bids based on price. "A contract with the contractor could be concluded by the end of October this year," UJEP's bursar Leoš Nergl stated.

Construction will proceed according to the specifications developed by Pelčák and Partners architects. The usable area will be 17,619 m². The new building will accommodate approximately 1,400 students, 120 academics, and 65 technical staff. Completion of the project is set for September 30, 2019.

The university campus is gradually being developed on the site of the former hospital complex. The Center for Natural Science and Technical Studies will be built on the location of the former maternity hospital. Some local historians and architects protested against its demolition. The original design of the building, completed in 1937, was the work of Ústí architects F. J. Arnold and E. Krob. At that time, the university argued that the layout of the building did not meet the needs of teaching and the development of science and research.