In the area of the Liberec University, work has begun on the new building E2 for half a billion CZK

Liberec – Construction has begun on the new E2 building at the Technical University of Liberec. The adjacent section of Bendlova Street is closed due to the construction, university spokesman Radek Pirkl said today. The project, costing nearly half a billion crowns, was prepared by the university over the course of ten years, and it received funding from European and state funds, with additional contributions from the Liberec Region. The university library, the faculty of economics, and a space for a simulation center for emergency medicine will relocate to the building.

The contract was awarded to Metrostav CZ, and construction was supposed to start in May, but the new rector Aleš Kocourek postponed the start due to ambiguities and had the contract reviewed. "The preparation for the E2 building has been ongoing for a very long time – about ten years, during which three rectors have worked on it. In some decisions, continuity was not maintained," Kocourek explained the reasons for the delay. However, everything was resolved, and in June he was able to sign the contract with the contractor.

The University of Liberec originated from the original College of Mechanical Engineering established in 1953. The university constructed three blocks of classrooms, laboratories, offices, and heavy workshops – E1, E2, E3 – based on a design by architect Eduard Adamíra from Stavoprojekt, starting in 1957 on Husova Street. They were completed in 1965. The two outer blocks continue to serve their purpose to this day, while part of the workshops in the middle block was converted between 2013 and 2014 into a university nursery school and a student club. "Operationally, the building was no longer suitable," said Dagmar Vojtíšková, the university's vice-rector for campus development.

As a result, the university demolished the inadequate E2 building last summer, and Metrostav CZ will construct a new pavilion with five above-ground floors in its place. The building will have four wings and a covered central courtyard, and the project also includes a photovoltaic power plant on the roof. The university will pay approximately 124 million crowns for the construction from its own funds, with the rest covered by grants. The construction is expected to last 18 months, with classes planned to begin in February 2029.