Gdynia Maritime University GMU

The new GMU Sports Centre will open its doors to students in 2024. On 2nd August 2022, an agreement was concluded between the University and Polish construction company Budimex S.A, during a meeting attended by HM Rector Professor  Adam Weintrit, and from Budimex Northern Office Director Mariusz Hurylski and Region 1 Director Radosław Slesar. 

- the Construction of the sports centre for Gdynia Maritime University students is an extremely important and task for the University which is responsible for the education and training of maritime personnel -commented HM Rector Adam Weintrit.  - The construction, which will begin later this week, is a necessary investment that the University community has been waiting for several years, and at the same time it will increase the attractiveness of the University. At our Sports Centre, priority will be given to students, doctoral candidates, and employees of the University, but I am convinced that this facility will also serve the residents of Gdynia and will be open seven days a week, from morning to evening - added the Rector.

 We plan to hand over the building to the investor within 22 months of concluding the contract, that is by June 2022. As a general contractor, we are reliable partner, well-known for meeting our contractual obligations. In carrying out the investment, we will involve proven partners and subcontractors as well as a team of highly experienced engineers, guaranteeing quality and timeliness - said Jakub Nagraba, Director of General Construction at Budimex  -  on behalf of the same investor, we are also currently building the Centre for the Offshore Industry in Gdansk, and our cooperation on this project is going well - he added.

- the entire building is designed to meet our needs in the best way possible. An example of this is the sports hall, which can be adapted as needed for different sports or recreational activities. For example, it will be possible to quickly divide it into three independent volleyball courts, each of which meets FIVB requirements. Add to that a climbing wall, fitness area, and sauna, and already you can see that with this facility we will be able to significantly broaden and the sports and recreational activities offered to our students and employees - commented Dr Andrzej Lachowicz, Director of the GMU Sports and Recreation Centre.

The new sports centre will include:

• a full-size sports hall, including a climbing wall,
• four changing rooms with full sanitation facilities,
• changing facilities for referees and employees with sanitation facilities,
• two rooms for team coaches,
• a service area,
• guest rooms for sports persons, training staff with kitchen annexes and bathrooms for 40 people,
• stands for 130 people,
• toilet facilities for spectators,
• a fitness zone and gym,
• office spaces, a conference room, technical area,
• underground parking for 49 cars

The sports centre in numbers:

• Area of the building: 2199,59 m2
• Volume: 38 460,21 m3
• Total area of the site: 6 983 m2
• Height of the building: 11,9 m
• Total number of floors 5
• Number of subterranean floors 1

The architectural project is the work of ART Projekt K&M Sp. z o.o.  
The investment will be carried out on the University’s main campus on the site of the previous sports hall, which was demolished in 2020. Due to the poor technical condition and high maintenance costs of the facility, upgrading the hall proved too costly and was not recommended.

University Bursar, Filip Mata informed that the site of the new sports centre will be handed over to the contractor on 5th August 2022. Before the end of 2022, work will be carried out on preparation, surveying, groundwork, construction, and installation. The complex will open in the second quarter of 2024. The total cost of the investment, including the equipment, is around 55 million PLN,  and is financed by the University’s own capital as well as the national budget in the shape of a targeted subsidy from the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The University also plans to build a new hall of student residence also on its main campus. The new accommodation will be constructed alongside to the sports centre as the second stage of the investment.