Pardubice will open polytechnic workshops in September 2023, calling them Sphere

Pardubice – The Central Polytechnic Workshops in Pardubice will be opened by the city in September next year, and work is progressing according to plan. The construction company is trying to raise prices, but the contract does not allow it much. The investment should not become more expensive due to rising costs, Mayor Jan Nadrchal told reporters today. The new educational venue will be called Sphere.

"There is great pressure on finances, input prices are rising, the construction company is trying to reflect this in invoices, the contract with the city does not allow it much. We are successfully heading towards the planned deadline," Nadrchal said.

The polytechnic workshops are expected to cost 271 million crowns, which is the payment for the construction part. The building will also house a city gallery. The city is set to receive a European grant of 170 million crowns. The equipment is estimated at 90 million crowns, and the grant is expected to be between 70 and 75 million crowns.

"The construction part should be completed during April and May; we want to open in September. We are finalizing the selection processes, and in most cases, we have managed to secure amounts lower than expected," said Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký.

In December, the city will begin accepting resumes from candidates for the position of director of the polytechnic workshops. The selected director will start working around February, will begin assembling their team, and the instructors will prepare programs for schools and the public by September, Rychtecký added.

The Central Polytechnic Workshops already have their name and visual identity; they will be called Sphere. "The workshops will focus on natural sciences as well as manual activities. The name Central Polytechnic Workshops did not encompass all activities," said project manager Gisela Kostelecká. "Sphere" is English for "ball," a shape that is perfect; one of the programs will be the Science of Sphere, which will address climate change on Earth, Kostelecká added.

The visual identity for Sphere was created by Cindy Kutíková with Jiří Mock and Daniel Šmír. According to Kutíková, the organization's identity should not be complicated; on the contrary, it should be understandable and accessible to everyone. The graphic design, including the newly created typeface, works with a round shape.

Construction of the Central Polytechnic Workshops and Gallery of the City of Pardubice began in December 2020. In the spaces that the city is building on the site of former mills, there will be eight workshops. They will focus on textiles, physics, graphics, IT, nature, as well as metal and electronics.