We invite you to follow the progress of the construction of the Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszcze near Kłodawa. A modern high storage hall with an area of 7500 m², which will be able to store about one million linear meters of geological samples (mainly drill cores), is under construction. 

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

Construction work is progressing rapidly with the following:

• the construction site has been cleared of bushes and trees,
• the back-up facilities with construction fencing have been built,
• the top layer of soil (humus) has been removed and secured from areas intended for roads and sidewalks,
• the open shell of the analytical and laboratory building has been completed; currently the works related to the installation of window ironwork, plastering and the installation of systems, are being carried out there,
• the ground air heat exchanger is being installed in the warehouse building,
• ceilings and building pillars are being constructed,
• external gable walls have been partly constructed,
• the first deliveries of the roof steel structure have been made and are now being prepared for assembly,
• boreholes for the lower source of the heat pump have been completed,
• the external rainwater installation has been partly made.

Work is currently underway to construct:

• footings for the warehouse building on previously prepared foundations,
• water insulation of the warehouse hall,
• thermal insulation of foundation walls of the analytical and laboratory building,
• external storm water drainage,
• electrical installation in the analytical and laboratory building,
• water and sewage system in the analytical and laboratory building,
• mechanical ventilation ducts in the analytical and laboratory building,
• drainage of the area for the installation of the ground air heat exchanger,
• ground air heat exchanger under the warehouse hall floor,
• storage hall pillars,
• internal plastering of the analytical and laboratory building.

Earthworks are also being done at the warehouse, as well as ongoing surveying and geological investigations.

The contractor for the investment is Firma Budowlana ANNA-BUD Sp. z o.o. Construction has commenced in October 2020.

Gallery of photographs from the construction site of the Central Geological Sample Storage Facility in Leszno

The facade of the analytical and laboratory building. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

South - east side elevation of the analytical and laboratory building. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

Fragment of the technical part of analytical and laboratory building. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

Warehouse hall construction. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

Collector assembly of the ground air heat exchanger. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

Warehouse building under construction. Photo: Michał Dzik Anna-Bud Sp. z o.o.

See also:

Chronicle of the construction of the Geological Sample Central Warehouse part I

Artykuły

• New investment for the security of geological information (article dated December 22, 2020)
  
  
• The construction of the PGI-NRI Geological Samples Central Warehouse begins. Contract with the contractor signed (article dated the 6th of October, 2020)
  
  
• The construction of the Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszcze near Kłodawa is underway (article from October 23, 2018)
  
  
• The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management delegation visit to the construction of the Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszcze near Kłodawa
  
  

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

More about the investment

The Geological Samples Central Warehouse is an important investment for the entire geological industry. The currently functioning core sample archives will soon be unable to hold samples from geological fieldwork being conducted all over the country. To facilitate access to geological information, a process of centralization of archives is planned. The Geological Samples Central Warehouse in Leszno will be used to store core samples from other PGI-NRI warehouses, as well as the State Treasury sample collections from PGNiG and LOTOS warehouses.

Storage conditions in the new storage facilities will guarantee the preservation of the research material intact for a very long time. The functioning of the research and analysis facilities will change the profile of the central geological archive from a storage unit only to a place for processing information contained in 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 (NAG), which collects, registers, secures and provides access to all the geological materials, especially geological documentation and maps, as well as geological samples from boreholes. Geological samples, especially core samples, are invaluable research and scientific material documenting the geological structure of Poland. In spite of many years of field studies, these samples still give a "new" chance to discover the secrets of geology. Over the century, the Institute has collected almost 900 running kilometers of core samples from nearly six thousand boreholes. Many of these come from depths of more than 7 km. The oldest core samples stored in the NAG are from boreholes drilled before World War II.

Translated by Tomasz Trzpil (PGI-NRI)