AGH University Sports hall – dream come true for active students-- AGH UST

image of the new sports hall, a black and white modern building

Photo by Kamil Bochenek, KSAF AGH

AGH University Sports hall – dream come true for active students

14-11-2023

The AGH University has officially opened its multipurpose sports facility. New on the map of Krakow, the hall will be used by students affiliated with the AGH University Academic Sports Association sections, including first-league volleyball, basketball, and handball players.

“Over the past few years, we have been continuously expanding and modernising our infrastructure. It could not be any different with the sports and leisure section. As part of our mission and strategy, we open this modern sports complex with a multifunctional sports hall for use. This is a place not only for professional athletes, but also for all members of academic community who want to actively spend their time. As stressed by the AGH University of Krakow Rector, Prof. Jerzy Lis, “new hall with the most modern equipment will host the most important sporting competitions”.

The modern sports hall located next to the AGH University Swimming Pool is a perfect spot for developing passions and following the efforts of university teams in first-league events. The facility has a professional training base and amenities that meet the highest quality and safety standards.

“The building was designed with the thought of multifunctionality thereby making it possible to organise various academic and sports events. It is a place where members of AGH University Academic Sports Association (AZS) can advance their skills under the guidance of experienced coaches and the students of our Alma Mater attend comfortable sports classes,” emphasises Piotr Biel, Director of the Department of Sport and Physical Education at the AGH University. “The new building responds to the needs of 47 sections of the AGH University Sports Association (including 4 high-performance sections playing their league competitions with audience, namely basketball, volleyball, badminton, handball).” The interest in this rivalry is so considerable that the former sports hall at ul. Piastowska was not able to fit all fans who attended the tournaments,” Piotr Biel added.

Equipment for thousand users

The multipurpose sports hall allows about 1,000 people to actively use the facility at the same time. The area of this investment is large enough to meet the needs of all sections, students, university staff, and to approach the local community and present them the sports offer. The new facility will make it possible to popularise such disciplines as basketball, volleyball, handball, squash, and badminton. It complies with all the requirements of the associations running games on the first league level in terms of the capacity of the stands and the dimensions of the hall. The five-storey building is home to:

two large sports halls, including one with the audience of 620 people,
very well equipped gyms,
four squash courts,
fitness rooms with changing rooms and sanitary facilities,
a sauna,
rooms for biological renewal (including a room with hydro massage baths),
a climbing wall,
storage rooms,
a place for a buffet,
conference room with audiovisual equipment,
rooms for employees, coaches, instructors.

Started in November 2020, the construction was finished in May this year. The facility, shortly after it was completed and equipped with the necessary equipment, was battle-tested and served as a training facility for athletes competing in the 2023 European Games in Krakow.

Green infrastructure

Summer lilacs, reed grass, globe thistles, and many others were planted in two gardens created on the roof of the hall. The building also has a “green wall” covered with plants such as white dogwood, mountain pine, and alumroot. What is more, trees several meters high, which grew on the construction site, were saved from cutting in the course of the project. One of them, a 10-year-old London planetree, was replanted in the corner of the building. According to the architectural concept, the tree is now able to grow in the open space. In addition to the technical systems standard for this type of building, the hall is also equipped with a photovoltaic system providing about 50 kW.

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The total value of the project is over PLN 82 million. The author of the hall’s design is Dr Mateusz Manecki from Krakow, whereas Mostostal Warszawa SA. was responsible for the construction.