“Amber from Gdansk” – PGE Arena.

The supports and boards in the roof and storefront construction are meant to resemble the ribs of a boat. Based on the extraordinary treasure of the Baltic Sea, the roof construction will lend the biggest amber in the structure a crowning effect, which will be hidden away in the construction of the splendid stadium.

Seen from different angles and distances, the PGE ARENA Gdansk presents different views and introduces the guests to a plethora of aesthetic experiences:  a signpost, shining from afar, displays wavy, ocean-like figure of the stands upon approaching, so that visitors can see the material but still transparent substance of the stadium, which holds within what is promised from the outside.

The PGE ARENA Gdansk is a signpost on the horizon that promises guests excitement, emotions, and high spirits as the breeding ground of athletic energy.

The arena is one of the venues for the European Football Championship in 2012. Three group matches and a quarter final were held here during the championship. The PGE ARENA Gdansk is a huge investment, whose building costs amounted to 645 million zlotys for dimensions of 236 m in length, 203 m in width, and 45 m in height. There are forty glassed-in loges in the stadium, eight of which have an area of 60 m² and 32 of which have an area of 30 m². Beyond this, the modern PGE ARENA Gdansk is equipped with a professional Business Zone with 40 loges and 1,385 business seats. Fulfilling the artistic requirements of the authors contingent upon technology and the highest building quality. But the technical specifications were the most important. The security aspects for prospective users were equally important as well. For materials used in public buildings, the strength and fire protection properties are especially important. That’s why using the best possible materials with guaranteed effectiveness, as well as support from the technicians at the UZIN and Pallman companies, was so important.

The products from UZIN and Pallmann have all the required certificates and authorisations that are endorsed in addition to the outstanding parameters of the materials used. The Uzin Utz SE corporation has supplied customers worldwide for 100 years now. Operating safety, environmental protection, high product quality, and employee competence are the building blocks of the firm’s success. The group’s product portfolio encompasses building chemistry products for installing and using floors. Uzin Utz SE delivers everything needed for a flooring installation.

The work carried out includes delivering, installing, and finishing industrial wood flooring in business area, fan club, conference room, and passageway. The total area is equivalent to 3,350 m² of industrial oak mosaic with a thickness of 22 mm and block length of 160 mm.
The work began with preparing the cementitious screed. Before starting to install the wood flooring, all cracks and outer fissures in the screed had to be sealed. The outer fissures are intentionally incorporated into the surface. Cracks protect against damage that could occur due to various causes. In both instances, the edges of the screed boards had to be conjoined so as to avoid wheel tracking in the surface covering later on. 2-Component products were exclusively used so that the screed edges would remain bonded in the long term; these can reach high levels of resistance in a short time. The 2-component repair resin UZIN KR 251 is characterised by particularly short hardening times, after which the required strength is reached. The hardening time can be controlled by the quantity of hardener mixed in. The next step involves complete insulation of the damp substrate. The 2-component, epoxy resin-based moisture barrier UZIN PE 480 is not just ideally suited for priming and reinforcing, but also for sealing up cement substrates. The double coating of resin UZIN PE 480 means that a reliable moisture barrier can be implemented on concrete subfloors or cementitious screed with high content of humidity. Up to 1% of the pigment UZIN colourant was ad mixed into the second coat. As a result, skipping floor parts already primed during the first coat while applying the second coat can be avoided.

The wood flooring was installed on a surface prepared thus so, and bonded with the 2-component adhesive UZIN MK 92 S. Bonding must be done within 36 hours from completing the last coat of primer. If this is not enough time, the whole area must be strewn with quartz sand UZIN Fine sand 0.3-0.8 mm while spreading the epoxy resin. As a result, the mechanical bond strength of the substrate remains intact even after full chemical bonding and allows the wood flooring to be adhered or a smoothing compound to be used.

After the wood has been acclimatized (about 3-4 weeks), the finishing process was able to be started. These jobs included sanding, smoothing (Pallmann Uni Kitt), and coating the construction with two layers of an oil/wax combination. The Pallmann Soya Base Plus oil/wax combination used here was chosen in the wenge colour, interestingly. The oil is naturally coloured by default, but for the PGE ARENA, the Pallmann company’s laboratory created oil samples in wenge. After the trial order, the result was approved by both the building contractors and the architects. A special series of the oil was then produced successfully and used in the building. By choosing this product, maintenance work can be done quickly and easily, which can guarantee the floor’s magnificent appearance despite immense traffic.

One of the bigger challenges was delivering and assembling the staircase made of bonded heavy oak blocks. The steps had to be affixed to a concrete and steel substructure. Treads with an overhang thickened by virtually 40 mm, an overhang thickness of 2 cm, and step thickness of 36 mm. Mounting - plastic dowels with steel bolts from the underside of the steps (mounting invisible from above). Bonding the wood flooring on metal parts of the stair construction required the use of sound-absorbing and insulting mat UZIN RR 189 Plus for impact sound absorption. The steps, which had to be mounted from above for construction reasons, were mounted with socket head screws. The holes resulting from this were sealed with wooden panels. The drilled holes in the steel components were pre-threaded by the supplier. Then the stair was impregnated with Pallmann Sojabase Plus colour oil depending on the floor.

The work lasted about four months. The contractor was the “Piata Klepka” company from Gdansk. They’ve specialised in installing finished wooden floors and supplying wooden doors and stairs for over twenty years. The firm owner Dariusz Stankiewicz has relevant training, including all required building authorities. The employees at the “PIATA KLEPKA®” firm represent a team of workers employed solely on contracts of indefinite duration. They have high qualifications and extensive experience with these types of job. They also regularly participate in trainings to deepen their own knowledge and add to it. “PIATA KLEPKA®” has numerous references and awards from recognised economic and craft institutions. More about the activities and projects completed by the “PIATA KLEPKA®” firm can be found online at the address www.piataklepka.com.pl.

Source: PGE ARENA Gdansk, self-reported by A. Smyk-Stanirowska