A modern high-bay warehouse with an area of 7500 m², which will be able to store about one million linear meters of geological samples (mainly drill cores), is being constructed in Leszcze, in the Kłodawa municipality.

About the investment

An analytics-laboratory building containing a profiling and a conference room, is also under construction. The Geological Samples Central Warehouse will be opened for use in June 2023. The investment of the Polish Geological Institute - NRI is financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

The investment is important for the entire geological industry, as the core archives currently in operation will soon be unable to accommodate samples from geological work carried out across the country. To facilitate access to geological information, a process of archive centralization has been planned. Thus, the Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszno will be populated with core samples from other PGI-NRI warehouses, as well as collections of State Treasury samples from PGNiG and LOTOS warehouses.

Storage conditions in the new warehouse facilities will guarantee the intact preservation of the research material for a very long period of time. Thanks to the functioning of research-analytics support will change the profile of the Geological Samples Central Warehouse from a storage unit only to a place for processing information contained within the samples. The planned digital archiving of drill cores will be another step towards easier access to valuable data.

One of the tasks of the Polish Geological Survey, which is carried out by the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, is to collect, process and provide access to geological information. This task is fulfilled by the National Geological Archives (pol. Narodowe Archiwum Geologiczne – NAG), which collects, registers, secures and makes available all the geological materials, especially geological documentation and maps, as well as geological samples from boreholes. Geological samples, especially drill cores, are invaluable research and scientific material documenting the geological structure of Poland. Despite many years having passed since field work was conducted, these samples still give a "new" chance to discover the secrets of geology. Over a century, the Institute has collected almost 900 km of cores from nearly six thousand boreholes. Many of these come from depths of more than 7 km. The oldest cores collected by the NAG are from boreholes drilled before World War II.

We invite you to follow the construction progress!

Progress of the Construction of the Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszcze near Kłodawa

The contractor for the investment is the construction company ANNA-BUD Sp. z o.o. The contract with the company was signed in October 2020.

As of March 5, 2021, Phase I of the project has been completed. The following tasks have been completed so far:

• preparation of the construction site and supporting facilities,
• temporary fencing of the construction site,
• installation of service connections,
• construction of temporary access roads,
• removal of humus from the areas to be developed,
• digging the foundations for the analytics-laboratory building,
• pouring of footings and foundation walls for the analytics-laboratory building.
  
  

Construction site photo gallery

View of the site planned for the analytics-laboratory building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

October 26, 2020. For now this is a field of stubble... But the Geological Samples Central Warehouse will soon be built. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

12 November 2020. Leveling the ground for construction. Photo Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

18 November 2020. Measurements and excavation for footings. Photo: Tomasz Juryś, PGI-PIB

25 November 2020. Formwork and reinforcement of footings. Photo: Tomasz Juryś, PIG-PIB

25 November 2020. Concrete foundations. Photo: Tomasz Juryś, PGI-PIB

2 December 2020. Formwork and pouring the footings. Photo: Tomasz Juryś, PGI-PIB

9 December 2020. Making footings and foundation walls for the analytics-laboratory building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

9 December 2020. Making footings and foundation walls for analytics- laboratory building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

9 December 2020. Making footings and foundation walls for analytics and laboratory building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

12 December 2020. Making the pillars and installing the underfloor sewage system of the analytics-laboratory building. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

23 January 2021. Reinforcing the ceiling above the profiling room located in the analytics-laboratory building. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

27 January 2021. Making lintels over the windows in the analytics-laboratory building. Photo: Tomasz Juryś, PGI-PIB

27 January 2021. Placing concrete on the ceiling of the profiling room located in the analytics-laboratory building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

27 January 2021. Placing concrete on the ceiling of the profiling room located in the analytics-laboratory part of the building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

10 February 2021. Fencing of the construction site. Photo: Tomasz Juryś, PGI-PIB

223 February 2021. Supporting the tops on which the concrete of the ceiling of the analytics-laboratory building will be laid. Photo: Mariusz Zarzycki, PGI-PIB

3 March 2021. Future profiling room building. Photo: Karol Lech Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

More information:

• https://www.pgi.gov.pl/en/for-press/13041-new-investment-for-geological-information-security.html
• https://www.pgi.gov.pl/en/for-press/11133-new-geological-core-and-sample-repository-to-be-built-in-leszcze-near-klodawa.html

See the video: The Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszcze, near Kłodawa

Translated by Tomasz Trzpil (PGI-NRI)