Gdańsk University of Technology started the construction of the STOS IT center for PLN 156 million | Gdańsk University of Technology

Gdańsk University of Technology has officially inaugurated its flagship project, which is also one of the largest infrastructure investments currently underway in the Tri-City. It is the STOS Competence Center (Smart and Transdisciplinary knOwledge Services), which will cost nearly 156 million PLN to be built on the university campus - at Traugutta Street, in the vicinity of the GUT Management and Economics building.

As part of the investment, the NDI company from Sopot, selected in a tender, will build a smart facility that will be equipped with the latest generation technical and network infrastructure, allowing for complex simulations, as well as processing and archiving huge data sets. The most important element of the center will be the ‘bunker’, i.e. the server room, which is to meet the highest standards of data security (it is to be secured in such a way that the data collected in it is not threatened by fire, water or even electromagnetic field) and is to be equipped with a supercomputer.

– CC STOS will be the new seat of the Information Center of the Tri-City Academic Computer Network GUT and one of the most innovative IT centers not only in Poland, but also in this part of Europe - says prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of GUT. - The construction of the center is a response to the market needs in the field of research and development R&D services, which require calculations, transfer, processing and archiving of huge data sets. It will be possible thanks to the supercomputer, which will be part of the center in the future. Figuratively speaking: what would take a few months for a ‘home’ PC to do, the supercomputer in STOS can do in just a few hours.

– The Center will create conditions for the implementation of innovative research projects for the academic community in Pomerania, and will also support companies and the socio-economic environment in the implementation of large business projects - says prof. Henryk Krawczyk, initiator of the creation of CC STOS and project manager. – It will also be used in research in the field of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biotechnology or medicine, as well as for implementation research for the commercialization of science.

Work is already underway. What will there be inside CC STOS?

Preparatory works for the construction of CC STOS began at the end of September. The contract between GUT and NDI covers the construction of the main facility with an area of approximately 12 thousand square meters, as well as the development of the area around it along with the implementation of all necessary works: earthworks, construction and finishing. The works also include the construction and equipment of server room.

The facility, designed by the Arch-Deco architectural studio, will be set on a single foundation, but at the same time it will be divided by a viewing axis directed at the GUT Main Building.

– The base of the building with the server room has been hidden underground, and its brick wall will emerge fragmentarily from the side of Traugutta Street - says architect Zbigniew Reszka, president of Arch-Deco. - There are two blocks covered with titanium-zinc sheets: the first one will be anthracite in color and the second one will be silver.

On the ground floor of the building there will be a server room with its special part, the so-called ‘Bunker’, as well as the hall, concierge, showroom and offices. Offices with a conference room, social facilities and technical rooms will be built on the first floor. On the levels +2 and +3 there will be, among others offices, a ventilation room, cooling devices and a technical part for server rooms. The building will have two underground levels, intended for parking lots, as well as technical and storage rooms. The facility will be equipped with an intelligent building control and environmental monitoring system. There will also be a technological cooling system with a heat recovery installation.

– The center will be built on the basis of Green Computing, so as to minimize the impact of IT activities on the environment, and at the same time to increase the energy efficiency of equipment and laboratories - explains Michał Sadowski, project director at NDI.

Demanding investment on difficult terrain

The first works on the construction site began in mid-September. Since then, the so-called macro-leveling of the area and excavation have been finished , and further works are in progress. The builders emphasize that the investment is very demanding, because of its location. CC STOS is being built on the slope of Szubienicza Góra (Gallows Hill) in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz.

– This is a big challenge also due to the complexity of the project – says Dominik Kardynał from NDI, site manager. – We have already completed a fragment of the excavation lining and we will soon descend to the level of the foundation slab. We also do pile work on slopes. After laying the foundation slab, we will continue to secure the excavation in the part of the server room under the construction - he adds.

As part of the investment, the vicinity of the facility will also be more beautiful, including new park. New trees, shrubs, lawns and a flower meadow will appear on the hill. There will be plenty of benches, bicycle stands and litter bins, and the relaxation area will be supplemented with an atmospheric lighting fixture.

– Designing a recreational space with a park on the hill was an important element of the project – emphasizes architect Zbigniew Reszka. – We placed it around terrain stairs that emphasize the main axis of the building.

Building STOS with EU support

The cost of the investment, which will be completed in the first half of 2022, is PLN 155.7 million - 90.1 million of which was covered by an EU subsidy under the European Regional Development Fund. It was obtained thanks to the involvement of the Marshal's Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and Marshal Mieczysław Struk and the Pomeranian Development Agency. The remaining amount is covered almost entirely by the university from its own funds generated by the TASK GUT IT Center. The investment was also supported by additional funds from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The total cost of the project will exceed PLN 200 million - the difference results from the need to supplement CC STOS with additional, specialized equipment (including a supercomputer), which the university will successively buy and install in the facility in the coming years.