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Almost 4,000 m² of glass, 1,500 tons of steel, the roof featuring an automatic snow removal system, 40,000 metres of electricity wiring, an expenditure of just a 'trifle' – PLN 35 million – Poland's most state-of-the-art exhibition hall to be officially put into use at Targi Kielce on 12th August.

The construction of the hall took less than a year, which, in opinion of the construction engineers supervising the work themselves, is indicative of an impressive pace of the implementation.

"The futuristic shape of the pavilion corresponds with solutions applied within its interior, i.e. the restaurant and conference rooms. The shape, however, constitutes only the top of the giant structure located underneath", says the chief construction engineer, Maciej Rosiński of the Polimexu Mostostal company, the general contractor. "Beginning with the foundation, which is laid on reinforced concrete piles. There are 194 of them, with its total length amounting to 1,940 metres. Each of them is 6 metres long, with a diameter of 500 mm.

Concrete, glass, and steel
"The foundation itself covers a concrete area of 1,300 m². It was the base on which continuously - day in, day out - irrespective of the weather conditions, a structure made of steel and glass was emerging. The weight of steel in the foundation amounts to 250 tons, while for the construction of the pavilion over 1,500 tons of steel was used," says Marek Martinowski, construction site manager of Polimex Mostostal, quoting the data from the documentation.

The steel is protected by means of the fire resistant paint Flame-Stal, which in the event of a fire expands, thus preventing destruction of the building. Afterwards the remnants of the paint have to be removed, and a new layer is put on.

In addition to steel, the main material used in this process was glass. The total quantity of glass is 4,000 m²: the front roofing - almost 400 m², front and rear facades - 1,100 m², skylights - over 1600 m². For this project the so called 'safe glass' was used; when broken it does not entail the hazard of injury.

On the steel-reinforced floor heavy vehicles and equipment can be put into operation. Part of its surface, 1,200m² in total, is covered with ceramic tiles.

Access to the mezzanine floor is provided by means of escalators, as well as by lifts - one of them is panoramic, designed for disabled people, while the other will be used for transporting products for restaurants and catering companies. The pavilion is air-conditioned, having also a doctor's surgery offering professional medical assistance.

Events under surveillance
"The pavilion features a fire protection system, as well as safety surveillance solutions, including smoke detectors, CCTV, emergency power supply, smoke extraction system, and the sound emergency system (DSO)," says president of the management board of Targi Kielce, Andrzej Mochoń. "It is used for immediate and well-organized urging people to leave the building in a safe manner."

The system uses tone signals and announcements. All these features are part of the BMS – Building Management System, which makes the pavilion worthy of being called 'intelligent'.

The area of the hall, including the mezzanine, covers 6,700 m², while its height is 16.5 m. No pillars being used in this building facilitates not only organization of trade fairs but also concerts, artistic events and large-scale conferences.

Rebuilding after a fire
In late August, the development of another hall, which will replace the one which was destroyed as a result of a fire last year, will also be completed. This facility will also feature a state-of-the-art fire protection system. The only remnant of the previous hall will be its facade. The new hall F will offer 4,000 m² of exhibition space, its interior design being largely upgraded in relation to the previous hall. The level of the roof will be raised by over 2 metres, while the number of pillars in its interior will be significantly reduced. The pavilion will be 12 metres high.

The construction work is implemented as part of the project "Modernization and Development of the Infrastructure of Targi Kielce AS an International Exhibition and Conference Centre" within Action III.2 - Conference and Exhibition Tourism Infrastructure of the Operational Programme 'Development of Eastern Poland 2007-2013', with its total net value amounting to PLN 166,913,929.09.

CHOPIN for the opening
On 12th August, at 9 P.M., the official opening of the pavilion will commence. The development of this facility is part of a large-scale project aimed at the extension of the infrastructure of Targi Kielce. The value of this investment amounts to PLN 170 million.

The show has been prepared by the Kielce Dance Theatre. It will be broadcast on TV in mid-October, its hosts being the well-known television announcer Jolanta Fajkowska and the previous minister of culture, Waldemar Dąbrowski. The performance, having been recorded by TVP, will be the basis for the production of a musical film – an artistic impression revolving around selected compositions of Frederic Chopin. The stars performing on the stage will include Urszula Dudziak & Super Band, Aga Zaryan and the Voice Factory Choir, dancers of the Kielce Dance Theatr, Ballet Noir New York City, Ballet Arizona, American Ballet Theatre, Bayerisches Staatsballet Monachium and the Polish National Ballet.