NDI Group completes construction of the new State Archives complex in Katowice

The investment project carried out by the NDI Group, which involved the construction, redevelopment and expansion of the archive complex, has been completed on the premises of the State Archives in Katowice. The final handover certificate was signed in April, following the receipt of the occupancy permit. Consequently, the entire infrastructure was handed over to the contracting authority, and the Archives have been officially opened.

The scope of the investment included the construction of three new buildings and the redevelopment of three existing ones. The newly erected structures feature two state-of-the-art archival repositories and a dedicated training, exhibition and educational building. The works also involved modernising the existing buildings, including the administrative block housing the directorate offices, archive staff workstations and the reading room. Furthermore, Building No. 9 was extended to include a circulation core, which also accommodates offices and storage rooms, while a lift shaft and a new corridor link were built next to Building No. 10.

Crucially, all buildings covered by the project have been interconnected by a network of covered walkways. This allows archival materials to be transported between individual facilities without being exposed to weather conditions.

‘After two years, we have completed the delivery of the investment project. Following the receipt of the occupancy permit and the signing of the final handover certificate, we transferred all facilities to the Contracting Authority. This venture not only increases the storage capacity of the State Archives in Katowice, but also creates a modern space for educational, exhibition and conference activities,’ says Kamil Kasprzak, Project Director at NDI Group.

The key element of the investment is the new archival repositories, which have been designed to ensure stable and controlled conditions for document storage. The rooms are equipped with precision ventilation and air conditioning systems, responsible for maintaining the correct temperature and air humidity. Additional protection is provided by a dry gas fire suppression system, which enables firefighting without the use of water, thereby minimising the risk of damage to the stored materials.

As part of the project, specialist warehouse equipment was also supplied and installed. This includes map and plan cabinets equipped with hundreds of drawers for storing specialist documentation, as well as shelving units with dimensions tailored to the individual needs of the archives and the specific nature of the stored collections.
Another important facility is the training, exhibition and educational building. It houses an auditorium with a seating capacity of 120, designed for hosting conferences, presentations, training sessions and a wide variety of other events.

‘We paid particular attention to solutions that guarantee the security of archival materials while ensuring comfortable working conditions. This infrastructure has been designed with the long-term protection of valuable archival resources related to the region’s history in mind,’ emphasises the Project Director.

‘The completion of the investment project for the State Archives in Katowice is a source of great satisfaction for us. This is a project of special significance, as its outcomes will serve to protect priceless historical resources for many years to come. We are also pleased that this is yet another project carried out by us in Katowice, which has been an important location for our business activities for years,’ says Małgorzata Winiarek-Gajewska, President of the Management Board of the NDI Group.

The total floor area of the newly constructed buildings exceeds 10,000 m2, with a cubic volume of approximately 40,000 m3. The entire project was delivered within 24 months from the start of construction, which is over four months ahead of the contract schedule. The cost of the investment amounted to over 80 million PLN gross. The investor is the State Archives in Katowice, and the General Contractor is the NDI Group.