The construction of buildings at the University of Ostrava is slightly delayed and will be more expensive

Ostrava – The construction of two new buildings at the University of Ostrava near the Černá louka exhibition center in the city center is about three months behind schedule. The reason was the necessary removal of decontaminated soil, which will increase the billion-crown project by approximately 80 million crowns. The city also had to address a similar issue during the current reconstruction of the former city slaughterhouse, which is being transformed into a modern art gallery. This was stated today by Deputy Mayor Zuzana Bajgarová (ANO) to journalists.

"After handing over the construction, we very quickly realized based on surveys, which always must be conducted during the actual work, that contaminated soil is present in the area, containing a large amount of coal," Bajgarová stated. The disposal of such soil is more financially demanding than originally anticipated.

"The construction was therefore partially delayed for a certain period, but the construction work has now resumed, and we are gradually reducing the time delay that we encountered. However, it is a large area, so there has been an overall increase in the billion-crown project of about 80 million crowns," said Bajgarová. She added that the city and the university would share the costs of this increase in roughly the same amount.

"The change was approved by the grant provider, which means that the University of Ostrava should not be at risk of losing the grant. That is definitely not the case, there has been a time delay of three months," the deputy mayor added. According to current estimates, the construction should be completed in April 2022. "There were time reserves, so it does not cause a problem with the opening," Bajgarová noted.

The city encountered a similar problem during the reconstruction of the city slaughterhouse. "The issue of contaminated soil is appearing in several constructions not only of the city but also of private investors. In constructions where we have vacant areas, we are therefore conducting more intensive surveys," said Bajgarová. Next year, the city plans to start, for example, the construction of a parking garage in front of the City Hospital in Ostrava, and they are currently conducting additional surveys there. "It is not possible to capture everything completely. If it is under a building, then some things we can really find out only when the space is cleared," the deputy mayor added.

The two new university buildings will provide new facilities for sports activities and artistic disciplines. They will include underground garages built by the city.

A new Faculty of Arts will be created on the site, which will include exhibition spaces, a chamber hall for nearly 250 audience members, and a studio and research laboratory for music therapy. Another part will provide facilities for sports. The university, as the only one in the Czech Republic, has not yet had its own sports facilities, which will also be connected to a scientific laboratory. Once completed, Ostrava will have the most modern scientific facilities for the study of human movement in Central Europe.

The university obtained funding for the constructions from the Operational Program Research, Development, and Education under the Restart project, which aims to help initiate changes in the Moravian-Silesian, Ústí nad Labem, and Karlovy Vary regions.