The facade of the Uran building in Liberec will be made of galvanized sheet metal

Liberec - The new facade of the dilapidated seven-story office building Uran in Liberec will be made of galvanized steel. According to Mayor Jaroslav Zámečník (SLK), this is an unconventional approach for Liberec. "Such a solution is not often seen in Liberec," he told reporters. The costs for the reconstruction of the facade and the replacement of windows in the large municipal building are estimated at 40 million crowns, with the repairs expected to take place next year.

Sheets, even if made of copper, are only seen, according to the mayor, on the university's nanocenter building in Liberec. "It creates quite interesting three-dimensional shapes for the building. So we expect this to be something that will be interesting for Liberec," the mayor mentioned. The city hall chose from five architectural designs, and the facade made of galvanized steel panels is the idea of the studio re.architekti. The original load-bearing structures of the Uran building, which are not currently visible because they are covered by panels, will be used for its attachment, added Zámečník.

Uran, built in 1969, was acquired by the city free of charge from the state in 2005. Currently, about 180 employees work in the sprawling complex, which houses the municipal police, the social care department, and part of the transportation department. Apart from the ground floor renovation in 2009, Uran has not undergone any significant repairs. According to last year’s construction and technical survey, complete renovation is estimated to cost around 150 million crowns. The mayor previously stated that this exceeds the city's financial capabilities, so only the outer shell, which poses a danger to its surroundings, will be repaired. There is protective scaffolding around the building to prevent anything from falling from the facade onto the sidewalk leading to the train station. The steel-framed building stands by the bus station on 1st May Avenue.

The city hall will attempt to obtain a European grant from the Operational Programme Environment for the facade repairs, which could cover 30 to 50 percent of the costs. According to the mayor, construction workers will operate while the building is in use. "Imagining that the building would be emptied, we would have to relocate the camera system, rent additional rooms, set up an information system for the municipality, and that would cost at least single, if not tens of millions of crowns during the renovation," added Zámečník.