The rugby pitch is being built, the stadium track is taking shape. The stands are being erected, the changing room has been built. Work is also underway on the recreational reservoir. An interesting feature is the surviving fountain, from which water will soon flow. Progress in the Skra sports complex.
Warsaw Deputy Mayor Renata Kaznowska presented on Wednesday what is happening on the modernized area of ​​the Skra sports center. The first stage of the reconstruction is currently underway, covering over 11 hectares.
– We want to create a beautiful recreational space here with the construction of a beautiful pond, a footbridge, a huge amount of vegetation, we are building walking and running paths, outdoor gyms. It will be possible to relax here, as well as run – emphasized the deputy mayor of Warsaw.
Work on sports facilities
One of the areas of this investment is a strictly sports area. A side training stadium with a throwing zone and a building with changing rooms, through the roof of which a running track will run.
As the city hall reported in a press release, reinforced concrete works related to the sports facilities building are nearing completion – the ceiling has already been poured and the attic walls are being built. Thermal and waterproof insulation is also underway.
The athletics training stadium is also taking shape. The reinforced concrete track slab has been built, drainage and irrigation systems have been installed, sub-base layers have been prepared, and work is coming to an end on preparing the vegetation layer of the stadium's throwing field and the rugby pitch for grass sowing.
The vice president emphasized that the completion of the first stage of work is planned for the end of the year. – Then the acceptance will begin, and we want to invite guests in the spring – the end of April, the beginning of May – she announced, adding that this is related to the grass that needs to grow.
Connection with Pole Mokotowskie
“Work is also underway on the recreational reservoir, with reinforced concrete works for the technological reservoir already completed. Paths made of mineral surfaces are being built. Work on underground networks and installations is underway,” the city hall described.
– There are many meandering paths between trees in the park, in order to protect the roots and preserve as many trees as possible. We have used permeable surfaces throughout the park, so as not to introduce concrete or asphalt here – said the vice president.
Another assumption of this park is its opening to Pole Mokotowskie. – We really want guests to be able to smoothly move to the Skra center without noticing the difference in space. That is why we used the same material solutions, for example, when it comes to park alleys, small architecture and lighting – she explained.
There are two thousand trees in the entire complex. The vice president said that the first thing done after taking over the land was an inventory of the trees. About a hundred required cutting for sanitary reasons. For investment reasons, 150 had to be cut down, including the hornbeams in the rows by the pond.
– But the architectural committee decided during the competition that the pond would be reduced in size, and thanks to that, hundreds of hornbeams in rows were preserved. Those that stood on the paths and footbridge over the pond were cut down. In their place, we will plant 710 trees throughout the entire area and thousands of shrubs – added Kaznowska.
A fountain from the beginnings of the center's existence
There will also be a fountain on Skra, which has been saved. – When we were doing the inventory, we came across a fountain from the initial period of the sports center's establishment. It is small, made of sandstone, it may not be spectacular, but its history is interesting – said Kaznowska.
The fountain managed to survive the years of the previous manager – it was not destroyed, turned off or dismantled.
– We decided that it had to be preserved and recreated. A hydrophore has been built. We are replacing the sandstone, the whole thing is being cleaned and will be impregnated, and in a moment we will be able to connect it – he adds.
The historic fountain will stand practically where it has been so far – next to the main stadium, near the throwing zone. It will only be slightly raised.
“The condition of the stadium is catastrophic”
When asked about the technical condition of Skra’s main facility, the athletics stadium, the vice-president noted that it was entered in the municipal register of monuments.
– We have prepared a full query of the technical condition of this facility and after consulting with the conservator of monuments, who issued us recommendations. We know that the condition of the stadium is catastrophic. We have agreed with the conservator that we will preserve the external walls, the elevations, which will also require a lot of work – she explained.
The characteristic tower will also disappear, because, as the vice president pointed out, it is only suitable for demolition. – In its place, we would rather want to recreate it as a symbol of Skra – she pointed out.
After 13 years he returned to the city
The city regained the property at 5 Wawelska Street in 2021 after a 13-year legal battle. First, the neglected area of ​​the former Skra was tidied up, and the buildings in a tragic condition were demolished.
The first stage of modernization will include the construction of a training field with a six-lane athletics track, a throwing zone, a rugby pitch, running paths, outdoor gyms, park alleys, a pond and a rain garden.
Main image source: Warsaw City Hall