Work on this unique on a national scale and intelligent facility is in full swing. Currently, the builders are working in the installations inside the building that will have a huge impact on the functioning of the “heart” of the facility, i.e. the server room. Construction works, untypical for cubature buildings, are also in progress.

CC STOS (Smart and Transdisciplinary knOwledge Services) of Gdańsk University of Technology is being built on the campus of the university, at Traugutta Street. The investment is to act as a multidisciplinary data collection and processing center – in accordance with the latest global standards. The possibilities of CC STOS can also be used in scientific research in the field of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biotechnology or medicine, as well as for implementation research for the commercialization of science. The contractor for the investment, selected in a tender, is the NDI group from Sopot.

– This is the largest investment in the post-war history of Gdańsk University of Technology – emphasizes the Gdańsk Tech Chancellor, Mariusz Miler. – The facility will be ready for use in the second quarter of 2022, and already in the next academic year our students will be able to see with their own eyes how modern server support systems work.

However, not only Gdańsk Tech students will benefit from the CC STOS. Talks are already underway with the authorities of other Tri-City universities about colocation, i.e. transferring their servers to CC STOS, which would reduce the costs associated with the purchase of equipment and its maintenance.

– The building will also serve the business environment. The computing power of the servers that will be delivered here will provide the possibility of development in the field of IT for many companies in the Pomeranian Voivodeship – adds the Chancellor of Gdańsk Tech.

Installations for the “heart” of the Gdańsk Tech Competence Center STOS

The main element of CC STOS will be a server room equipped with advanced IT infrastructure, including a supercomputer. Ultimately, the device will have one of the highest computing powers in this part of Europe, which will enable complex simulations and the transfer, processing and archiving of huge data sets.

– Our task is to ensure appropriate temperature and humidity in this room, as well as protection against fire, water and electromagnetic field – says Aneta Tul-Sierpińska, head of sanitary works from NDI. – The corridor that leads to the server room is almost seven meters high. This gives us the opportunity to run our installations in two ways: part in the inter-ceiling space, and part in a special space under the “raised” floor. This is a very rare solution.

In the near future, the installation of the precision air-conditioning system and water mist will begin, which is also a real logistical challenge due to the size and weight of the pipes themselves. The diameter of the steel pipelines inside the building is almost half a meter, and their length is more than seven meters. There is also a technological cooling system with a heat recovery installation, which will be used to heat the entire building. The facility will have an intelligent monitoring system to ensure the continuity of operation of all components.

Work on the construction site of CC STOS in three shifts

In order to make up for the harsh winter, construction works are now carried out in a two or even three-shift system.

– We have already completed the backfilling of the building at levels -2 and -1. Works related to insulation and backfilling of the outer walls of the upper floors are in progress. Most of the ceilings of level 0 have already been made. We have started the construction of walls on level +1 and the ceiling slab on level +2 – says Katarzyna Przybylska, construction engineer from NDI. – The structure of the building does not resemble typical cubature buildings. We perform here walls that act as shields, suspended ceilings and ceilings that are located on several levels within one storey.

Despite the ongoing construction work, NDI, while maintaining all standards and construction technologies, is also already carrying out finishing works inside the building.

– We have started the thermal insulation of underground garage ceilings, the first painting of the walls, and in a moment we will move on to the installation of steel substructures needed to attach the glass walls that surround laboratories and lobbies – explains Michalina Szewczuk, construction manager of the general contractor of NDI.

“Bunker” with a server room, hall, concierge, toilets, the showroom and office space will be located in CC STOS on the ground floor. Offices, a conference room, social facilities and technical rooms will be built on the first floor. On the +2 and +3 levels, there will be offices, a ventilation room, cooling devices and a technical part for server rooms. The building will have two underground levels, intended for parking lots and technical rooms.

The basic cost of the investment, which will be completed in the first half of 2022, is PLN 155.7 million. PLN 90.1 million comes from the EU subsidy under the European Regional Development Fund, obtained thanks to involvement in the project of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal’s Office. However, the total cost of the investment will exceed PLN 200 million – the difference results from the need to supplement CC STOS with additional, specialized equipment (including a supercomputer), which the university will successively buy and install in the facility in the coming years.