In less than a year from signing the agreement, Unibep SA has completed the construction of a new production hall for the largest Polish producer of technologically advanced heating solutions. The value of the agreement is approx. PLN 24 million net.
The investment located on Jacka Kuronia Street in Białystok is the third investment in the realm of industrial construction completed by Unibep. The previous investments completed by Unibep SA as a General Contractor are modern production and warehouse halls constructed for companies Rosti Poland and Bravilor Bonamat.
“The task of the team of Unibep consisted in the design and construction of a new production hall with the necessary technical infrastructure and land development,” said Andrzej Iwaniuk, Site Manager at Unibep SA. “We entered the construction site on 11 August 2021 and received the certificate of occupancy at the end of July 2022. Considering the seasons of the year during which the investment was implemented, I believe that we have completed the investment in an extremely short period of time while maintaining the highest technical quality,” he added.
The most important construction stages of the investment
The process of building the new production hall for BIAWAR company can be divided into three distinct stages: design, implementation, and obtaining the certificate of occupancy. We should also mention that the short term for completion of the investment and implementation of the investment itself posed some indirect challenges as well.
“The construction was not the easiest, mainly because of the season of the year. Autumn, winter, and early spring period are not conducive to construction works. We coped with heavy rain and snowfall as well as low temperatures. We waited longingly until spring which only allowed us to work flat out when it comes to implementation of some works, such as flooring,” said the Andrzej Iwaniuk, site manager at Unibep SA.
In the picture: Site Manager at Unibep SA Andrzej Iwaniuk
Part of the facilities in the production hall have been designed directly on industrial floor. Willing to have it prepared at the highest possible quality, we had to observe clearly defined parameters.
“We were not able to install the industrial floor in winter season because of adverse weather conditions. To be precise: the ambient temperature must not be lower than 5° C both during the day and at night. Such conditions cannot be maintained in a building that is not yet completely closed,” said Andrzej Iwaniuk. “Moreover, the frozen ground was also a big problem. We had to wait until March with the foundation footing and, subsequently, flooring. We started the construction of facilities only in April,” he added.
The construction of the new hall for BIAWAR was implemented in the “design and build” formula, which required flawless organisation of work on the part of the General Contractor.
“Before we started construction works, we had to ensure basic executive designs, which provided us with more responsibilities and increased the time pressure. Among others, we had to find and contract a designer and subcontractors. Construction of a building is definitely easier when with a design at hand. Conducting designing works concurrently with construction works requires additional time and good organisation of work,” pointed out Andrzej Bogus, contract manager at Unibep SA.
In the Picture: Contract Manager at Unibep SA Andrzej Bogus
It may be noted that in small local markets problems with contracting certain works appear much more often. Local contractors prefer to work with firms they know well and with whom they cooperate almost on a daily basis. As a result, the market for new, especially large construction companies becomes very limited.
“In my opinion, it was a big challenge to find the suitable local contractors who would complete the task taking care of the smallest details and, additionally, on time. The task was not made easier by the situation on the construction market caused by war, which intensified both the lack of construction materials and a rapid and long-term increase in the prices of materials and labour. All this had an impact on the investment implementation process. Despite the unfavourable geopolitical situation, the building has been completed almost on time, and it should be stressed, at a very good technical level,” explained Andrzej Bogus, contract manager at Unibep SA.
BIAWAR divided the entire project into stages being implemented at different periods of time starting from 2018. This meant that any changes in the original design required amendments to construction permit.
“There is no doubt that the main milestone in the implementation of the Investment was obtaining the certificate of occupancy. The agreement obliged the company of Unibep SA to apply for the aforementioned document. Of course, this required additional work on the part of our team and, most important, we managed to obtain the positive decision of competent authorities,” said Andrzej Bogus.
Ecological solution
The new production hall has been equipped with ground source and air source heat pumps. These are heating devices that source energy from the environment and transfer it to the central heating and domestic hot water installations. It is an ecological source of heat sourcing up to 75% of its energy from the environment, meaning that a heat pump not only allows us to heat the building, but also contributes to reduction in emission of pollutants to the environment.
“Installation of heat pumps in an industrial building is not a commonly used solution. This technology is much more popular in single-family houses,” pointed out Andrzej Bogus. “In the hall constructed for BIAVAR we installed a ground source heat pump and accomplished one hundred boreholes to a depth of 100 m, where the heating medium sources the energy from to heat the building. It can be said that this is a unique industrial building in terms of application of ecological heat sources in Podlasie region,” he added.
The invaluable role of construction staff
The team of Unibep who worked on the construction site of BIAWAR raced against the clock from the very beginning. Not only the completion period was very short, but also the weather was not favourable for construction works for several months. Only owing to the expertise of the engineering staff, it was possible to complete the investment without any problems, almost on time.
“How did we achieve success? In my opinion, first of all, owing to the management staff, who is the site manager, building manager, and also contract manager, that is me. We all have vast technical knowledge, and, above all, we know how to cooperate with people and organise work of the entire team,” said Andrzej Bogus. “One cannot leave unnoticed the lower managerial staff, i.e., construction foremen, whose work and commitment also deserve an accolade here. Most of them were very young people for whom this project surely provided a valuable lesson. I am glad that everyone managed the task so well. At the same time, I can see the great value of these young people and the future of the development of our company.”
Cooperation with the investor
“I regard the cooperation with the investor, BIAWAR company, to be very successful. The company showed above-average involvement in every stage of the investment. The investor clearly communicated their needs with respect to works being conducted by Unibep SA. At the same time, they set the bar very high for our team, which in our view was an advantage because we had the opportunity to evaluate our experience and skills. And our knowledge certainly increased,” summarised Andrzej Bogus.
BIAWAR is the largest Polish manufacturer of technologically advanced heating solutions for single-family houses, multi-family buildings, and industrial and service facilities. It develops energy-saving products that largely use the renewable energy sources. The company’s offer includes state-of-the-art heat pumps, pellet boilers, water heaters, and solar energy systems. The company’s activity is based on the extensive experience of the NIBE Group in the field of designing, manufacturing, and merchandising of products.
Unibep builds for industry
The manufacturing hall constructed for BIAWAR is a subsequent investment implemented by Unibep SA in the realm of industrial construction. Let us remind that in the city of Białystok alone Unibep as a General Contractor implemented production and warehouse buildings for companies Rosti Poland and Bravilor Bonamat.
It is also worth mentioning that Unibep SA has cooperated with the dairy cooperative Mlekovita since 2009. The companies teamed up for the implementation of three investments. The first project concerned construction of a production and storage hall for the cheese ripening room; The second one, Milk Powder Plant Mlekovita 3, is considered to be one of the most modern in Europe; And the last one, which was put into operation in August 2021, consisted in construction of a new butter freezer, two warehouses, and necessary infrastructure.
Currently, Unibep SA is implementing the extension of the sewage treatment plant in Bielsk Podlaski, working on construction site of Polimery Police complex and Olefin III complex in the premises of PKN ORLEN SA in Płock. At the end of March 2022, Unibep SA signed an agreement with Mondi Warszawa. And in May it was chosen by Panattoni to be the general contractor of a warehouse hall with an area of approx. 58 000 sq. m., which will built in Tuszyn in Łódź voivodeship.
The range of services offered by Unibep SA to power and industry sector also includes supply and assembly of technologies and supporting installations, as well as service works, such as installation start-up, maintenance (cleaning systems), inspections, and repair works of devices and post-failure repairs. What is more, Unibep SA as a general contractor specialises in implementation of turnkey projects.