On October 7, building A in the university campus is to be demolished

photo: usti-aussig.net

Ústí nad Labem - The demolition of Pavilion A of the former Ústí hospital should be completed by October 7. Currently, adjacent buildings and operating rooms are being demolished. The spokesperson for the University of Jan Evangelista Purkyně (UJEP) in Ústí informed ČTK about this. The pavilion is located in the university campus, which the school has been developing in the area of the former hospital complex for several years.
    A group of Ústí historians and architects, who sought the building's listing as a cultural monument, led a dispute with the university leadership over the preservation of the structure. However, they were unable to push this through. It is set to be replaced by a new building that will function as a center for natural and technical sciences. It is expected to be completed by 2016.
    Demolition began on July 23, and according to Šiková, it should be completed on October 7. "We are striving to minimize the disruption caused by the demolition to the start of the academic year 2013/2014, and also to minimize the disruption to teaching in nearby lecture halls and the large auditorium," she added. The university will commence the academic year on September 16, with regular classes starting on September 23 in most faculties.
    Currently, the demolition of surrounding buildings towards Klíšská Street is being completed. "The lower building known as 'the shop' has been demolished, and the demolition of the larger operating room building is being completed," the spokesperson stated. It is expected that the demolition of the main building A will begin in early September. The demolition is being carried out by the company AWT Rekultivace, a. s. for 16.8 million crowns.
    The university has approved financial resources from the government amounting to 590 million crowns for the removal of the old building and the construction of a new one, but it must spend them by 2015. The university criticized the efforts to declare the structure a cultural monument, partly because they jeopardized the timeline of the work. If it lost this funding, it would not be able to finance the project from its own resources.
    The preservation and reconstruction of the building built in 1937 were ruled out by the university, both due to financial demands and because it evaluated the spaces as "absolutely inadequate for teaching needs and the development of science and research."